Beastly
by DuckShadow12517
Summary: "The curse can be lifted. The only condition is you must learn to love first." Cato knew at that moment, his life was over. He could flirt yes. But love? That was just a silly emotion, only meant for the weak. That was, until he met Katniss.
1. Cursed

** Hmm, if I get enough reviews I might just continue this. We'll have to see. How about if I get 5 reviews saying to continue, I'll do it. R&R!**

** Oh, I don't own any character, Suzie Collins does. **

** Here's the summary: **_"The curse can be lifted. The only condition is you must first learn to love." Cato knew the moment those words were spoken he was ruined. He could flirt yes. But love? That was a silly emotion, only meant for the weak. That was, until he met Katniss. _

**Pairing: **_GalexKatniss (One-sided, I do like this couple but it doesn't work for the story) Later, CatoxKatniss. Some ClovexCato (Will be explained soon). And maybe a few others, it depends. _

**Rating: **_T for some violence, maybe death. No cursing or anything, I don't do that. _

**And that's it so far, R&R! **

Prologue-

_7 years ago. _

_ Smugness. That's what Cato could feel. The teenager was eagerly sitting, waiting for the right moment. His friends giggling behind him only further encouraged him. He slowly moved across the cafeteria, passing several tables full of the nerds of the school._

_ A few girls sighed as he walked by. He smirked. He was used to that. He ignored them though; his real target was sitting mostly alone in the corner. Her partner, a chubby girl with knotty hair sat alternating between reading and munching on a bag of chips. _

_ He paused, hovering for a moment before lowering himself down onto a seat next to his target. Clove._

_ Clove was the weirdest girl in school. Her outfit was always black with combat boots. Her hair was also black, a natural color though. She never wore makeup and she actually had potential. If it weren't for the fact she was so weird. _

_ He cleared his throat. Her companion looked up, curious for a moment and then she narrowed her eyes. _

_ "Hello Clove." He spoke low, using his cool tone. Clove glanced up at him. Her eyes showed disinterest. _

_ "Cato." She went back to eating. _

_ "Bye Cato." Her friend cut in. Clove glanced at her for a moment, as if remembering she was there. _

_ "Actually, I was hoping we could have a little chat." he added. _

_ Clove sighed. "What?" she mumbled wearily. _

_ "Well, I've been keeping an eye on you recently." Cato charmed, trying his best not to laugh. _

_ "Stalker." Her friend hissed. _

_ "And I was wondering if you'd maybe like to go for a coffee or something after school. I think you're really cute." _

_ Clove seemed to take it in stride, the blush on her cheek meanwhile, gave away the fact she was flattered. "Well, I have homework."_

_ "One hour. Come on." He begged. _

_ She caved. "Alright, I'll see you there." _

_ "After school." Cato confirmed, making his eyes light up. _

_ "See you," she waved shyly._

_ "Later." He winked and headed back to his seat. _

_~0~_

_ As soon as he left my table Madge whirled to face me. "Clove, he's totally lying. His expression was screaming 'this is a joke'."_

_ I smiled. "I know, maybe this time it will be different. Maybe someone like him can feel love."_

_ Madge grew quiet. "Don't let him hurt you." She warned me._

_ "I won't."_

_ "I'm serious; don't let your emotions get control of you." _

_ "Madge, he's left more broken hearts in his wake than helped. He might realize that it's time to focus on something other than how, ahem, developed a girl is."_

_ Madge sighed, "Just don't do anything too drastic. I don't want to have to move schools again." _

_ I rested my head on my hand. "He's going to realize one day what he's doing is wrong you know, why not today?"_

_ "Just be careful." _

_ ~0~_

_ After school, Cato moved with barely restrained anticipation. He practically ran to the coffee shop. He had told his friends to wait at his house. He'd be back, with a funny story to tell. _

_ After waiting a few moments, Clove entered. She made her way over and settled down in the back booth. _

_ Cato remained hidden in his car. he sat there, waiting. After around two hours, he decided to confront her. He strolled casually into the coffee shop, a sneer already on his lips. How pathetic. She had waited for two hours. Loser._

_ He paused at her table. She looked up with hopeful eyes, probably waiting for him to explain why he couldn't come. _

_ "Hey-" she began, but he cut her off._

_ "Honestly?" he smirked; "You really thought I was coming didn't you?" he let out a chuckle, "How cute."_

_ Clove's brows knitted together. "I-" _

_ Cato held up a hand. "Let me continue. You're weird. You're a loner. You. Have. No. Friends. None except for that chubby freak." _

_` "I only did this because I thought it would be funny if the loser believed the hot, popular guy had a crush on her. I believe it worked beautifully."_

_ Clove's eyes began to water. "You don't mean that." She whispered. _

_ Cato leaned close. "Every word. Baby."_

_ Tears began to spill down the girls face. "You're heartless." She felt the rage coming. No. not here. Not now. _

_ "I can't believe you thought I'd go out with you."_

_ "Cato, I know you can love." Clove cried. _

_ Cato shook his head, "You're right. I am heartless." He chuckled at his play on words. _

_ That's when Clove couldn't hold it anymore. She let out a shriek. It lasted several seconds and almost knocked Cato over. When he regained his balance, the world had literally frozen. _

_ Coffee patrons were frozen mid-step as they made their way towards empty tables. The register was partially open while an unmoving cashier clutched a five in his hand. It was almost cool._

_ Cato whirled around, "What did you do?" he gasped._

_ Clove was breathing hard. Her eyes narrowed and then grew soft. "I need to help you."_

_ Cato backed away, "You're crazy."_

_ "No, I'm not. I'm here to teach you a lesson. Asking me out was your last chance." _

_ "For what?" Cato snarled, growing desperate. _

_ "Love." _

_ "Love doesn't exist." He shouted._

_ Clove gave a small smile. "Only in fairy tales." She walked calmly towards him. Cato suddenly couldn't move. His feet were frozen. _

_ "What's going on?" he hissed, struggling to lift his leg._

_ Clove lifted a pale hand and rested it on his forehead. He could feel a wave of agony wash over him. She closed her eyes and then removed her hand. _

_ She nodded and his feet unfroze. _

_ Cato collapsed on the ground. "What'd you just do?" he gasped._

_ Clove frowned, "Cato. You've been cursed."_

_ "Cursed?"_

_ "Yes. You're vainness has been your downfall. Until someone can love the true you, you will remain what you truly are. A beast." _

_ "Impossible." He snarled, standing up. "What are you talking about?"_

_ Clove looked at the people. "Until someone falls in love with you, you shall remain a beast forever."_

_ "What?"_

_ "It's simple." Suddenly, an object was slide across the floor and came to a rest at his feet. Cato picked it up. It was a watch. "This will help you. If you have not found love in 8 years. You will be forever a beast."_

_ "I'm not a beast." Cato snarled, "I'm human." He felt annoyance flash through and he hurtled himself at the girl. _

_ And wound up on the floor of his bedroom. Cato groaned and rolled over. "Just a dream." He breathed in relief. _

_ He heard a soft knock at the door. "Cato, time to wake up. It's time for school." His mother poked her head in the door. Cato growled for her to go away._

_ As soon as their eyes met, his mother let out an ear piercing scream. "CALL THE ANIMAL CONTROL!" she shouted. She raced away, slamming the door behind her. _

_ Cato slowly went to rub his head. "What the heck?" he muttered. He paused, staring at his hand. "Oh." _

_`0o0`_

_ Modern day-_

"Isn't this place amazing?" My father gushed, spinning around the room.

"It's kind of, um a dump?" I put in helpfully.

My sister pushed her way passed me. "It doesn't matter, it's perfect." She declared.

My father bounded over to her and swooped her up in a hug. "That's the spirit!" he cheered.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my suitcase. "It's not New York." I stated simply, and headed towards my room.

We had moved to Alaska, the middle of nowhere. After we learned my mom had cancer, which she had only a few years left to live, my dad decided to live her dream. She always wanted to live somewhere remote. I never thought she'd pick here.

She would be staying in a hospice right down the road from this house. I would be living here with my father, Boggs, and my sister, Prim. I was currently the only one who thought moving here was a bad idea. Oh well.

My room was in the attic. It was very spacious, yet with a low ceiling, and a lack of brightness. It was pretty dark.

I had a gothic style window that overlooked the backyard. I peered through and saw our backyard. About a thousand miles of trees. Oh joy.

I groaned and flopped onto my bed. This was a bad idea.


	2. The Journal

** Ok, I have zero inspiration for my other story. Literally. I sat down and I had nothing. So, I decided to update this one more until I'm over writers block. R&R! I got so many reviews for the first chapter I guess I'll continue then. Oh, and I just wanted to warn you, this is more like Beauty and the Beast than Beastly with my own twist. You'll see soon enough. =)**

_5 years ago-_

_ Alright, I'm not entirely sure why I'm doing this. I guess it gets lonesome in the castle. Yes, I do have the servants, but I haven't had real human contact in almost 2 years. 2 years. What a horrible reminder. I found this while I was looking through my old things. I used to use this to draw pictures. Ha. _

_ Well, I know journals are just stupid. Don't expect me to write…I feel…or my feelings or anything. I just crave some conversation. It makes me realized just how much I miss people. _

_ I guess I'll just explain something. My name is Cato Fisher. How about I just tell you a story. _

_ I was 14 when my dad and I moved to Alaska. Almost a year ago, my mother had died. Yeah, I know. Don't feel bad for me. I loved her a lot, and her lose was painful. The person it hit the hardest though, was my father. _

_ He had just been offered the job of a lifetime. The only problem was, it was in Alaska. I was shocked when he took it. He later on explained it to me. He needed a fresh start; he needed to take his mind off of mom. _

_ To me though, it felt like he was forgetting mom. Trying to forget._

_ As we both stood on the steps of our new house, castle I should say. It literally was a castle, gray stone and all. Gothic windows were covered in stain glass and a tower rose above the turrets. _

_ "A new life." My father repeated, ruffling my hair. I had ducked out of the way._

_ His hair was combed, still slightly askew and he had just shaved. I was used to this though. The first few months my mother was dead, my father was deeply depressed. One day, he had gotten up, shaved, showered, and headed off to work. This went on for two months. Then, he stopped shaving, work was a massive chore, getting up was work itself. Another month later, he was back. It went on until now. He had gone a whole month without relapse into Depression State, as I had called it. _

_ I figured this buy was just a Happy State impulse. I was wrong. He planned on staying for good. _

_ "We need this." My father began, kneeling beside me. "Tell you what, every castle needs a coat of arms right?" I nodded. "Well, how about my big artist designs us one? We can hang it from one of the windows. It can be the Fisher Castle."_

_ I knew he was trying, really trying. "Ok." _

_ He hugged me, "Thanks bud. And, I'll even let you chose which room you want. Any room in the entire house. Except the kitchen." I gave him a small smile for his attempted joke. He smiled, "Go ahead, I have some business to attend." I nodded and strolled into the house._

_ I immediately headed up the stairs, feeling a slight pull in one direction__**. (A/N ha, One Direction…I'll stop now.)**__ I turned to the left and padded down a long hallway. I opened a door to my right. There was a large spiral staircase. As soon as the door closed, I was enveloped in darkness._

_ I felt the wall and began to climb upwards. Up ahead, light filtered faintly from a crack in the door. I opened it and stepped onto the next floor. I turned up a small group of steps. I paused at one door, ornately carved. The door was covered with a mass of dark vines. The thorns were evident and gleamed wickedly. It seemed so dark. That's when I saw it. In the corner, carved with intricate designs, was a single rose. It brought a small smile to flit across my lips. How interesting. The rose was fully bloomed, spreading out, almost seeming to repel the vines around it. _

_ I placed my hand on the door and turned the handle. I entered and realized immediately that this was the tower. The ceiling tapered off to a point and a large gothic window dominated a fourth of the wall, which was a circular shape. This was my new room._

_ I laid my stuff on the bedroom and put my clothes away. I stood, staring out the window. My father was walking back to our house with the Real estate agent, Anita. He was saying something and she nodded. He handed her a clipboard back and they split up. I felt glad. _

_ As he walked back, he didn't notice the look Anita gave him as she watched him enter his new home. I did. _

_ Ok, you're probably wondering, what does this have to do with anything? Well, I'm trying to figure out why this happened. I mean, it didn't just 'poof' and I'm 'changed.' Something along the line happened; I think it started with what happened in Alaska. I need to remember everything. The move. The new jobs. Roses. Anita. Glimmer. You'll see. _

_ Nobody just becomes a beast. It has to happen gradually. _

Present day-

"Katniss." My father voice came from the other side of my door.

"What?" I scowled, flinging open the door to see my father's smiling face.

"I need some bread for dinner tonight." He began, but I was already brushing by him, keys in hand.

"I'll get it." I actually was curious to see the town. Or lack of one.

"Take Prim too, she'll probably want to see the town."

"Great."

Five minutes later-

"Ooo, look at that Katniss!" Prim's nose was pressed against the window as I drove into town. She was pointing to a strange looking bird. "What is it?"

"I don't know." I scowled and continued driving.

"I have money from dad, can we visit the bookstore and get an Alaska travel guide?" she pressed.

"Whatever." I went into the grocery store with Prim trailing behind. This was so different that New York. The store was about the size of a school room.

I paid for the milk and since it was right down the road, Prim and I just walked to the bookstore.

I was greeted by a rush of warm air as I stepped inside. Prim immediately darted off towards the travel center. I began to browse the book selection.

"May I help you?" a deep voice from behind caused me to whirl around. I dropped my book in surprise.

A very tan boy was crossing his arms. His tightened arms showed his muscles coiled beneath his shirt. His hair was jet black and it dipped above his forehead. He had a strong jaw line and his gray eyes had golden flecks in them.

"No. I was just looking." I mumbled, bending to pick up the book the moment the boy did. Our arms brushed, sending jolt of electricity up my arm.

"Sorry." He murmured, handing me the book. Our fingers brushed and I jerked up.

"Thanks."

"My name's Gale." He extended an arm. "You must be new, I haven't seen you around yet, I'd certainly remember."

I gave him a tight smile, "Yes, I am." He waited expectantly. "Oh," I extended a hand, "I'm Katniss."

He took it, "Pretty." He winked and drifted away, "If you ever need a tour guide, I'm your man."

"Sure." I grumbled, waiting for Prim. She appeared as if called, a smirked on her face showing she'd been watching.

We quickly paid and left the store. As soon as the door closed, Prim whirled around. "Who was that?" she squeaked. "You were tripping over yourself."

I chuckled, "No one." And then as an afterthought, "Gale."

"He's cute." She squealed, "And you should've seen how he was looking at you!"

"Prim. Drop it." I snapped, but I couldn't keep the small smile off my face.

**Alright, this is like the introduction to the plot. If you didn't know, Cato is writing in a journal, you'll see the change, from 5 years ago, to present day don't worry. R&R!**


	3. Anita

** Hey, sorry I haven't updated in so long! Please R&R! Thanks for all of your support. **

** Chapter 3:**

June 18th 5 years ago-

_Ok, it's been another two weeks. I haven't been writing in this journal because, well, I just couldn't. Well, I mean, just remembering. Ok, I decided to tell the story of my father and my new mother. This is an easy story, not full of sadness and woe, I must admit. So, it started two weeks after we moved in. _

_ I was busy in my room, designing the coat of arms my father told me to make. I was putting the finishing touches on it. It was a shield of course. I had split it into four parts with a rose vine curving all around it. The only rose was on the top right corner, just like on my door. I had actually based the design off the intricate rose. I finished shading the bright red of the flower and moved to put the finishing touches on the rest of the picture. _

_ In the top left corner, I drew something that represented my father. I drew an eagle, while brave was a very distant creature, mysterious and often too far away to see clearly. Hard to fully understand. I had drawn it staring out into the sky, almost looking for a bright new future. He was willing to move forward. I was not. _

_ In the top right corner, I represented my mom, Lily. I drew a lily, the soft white flower floating peacefully in a gentle pond, without a care in the world. The lily pads around it only added to the calm scene. _

_ In the bottom left, I drew myself. I chose to draw the tower. The faint outline in the window hinted someone lived there. I outlined the rocks and added more detail. A hint of white to show lichen or moss. The light yellow to show the soft glow of the setting sun. It was a beautiful photo. Then in the final square, I couldn't decide what to draw. So I drew a rope. _

_The rope reminded me of my family, the ends frayed, parts missing, faded, torn. Yeah, I was a very morbid person at that age. I really missed my mother. _

_Satisfied with the result, I picked up the drawing to give to my father to transfer it onto a cloth. I headed downstairs in search of my father. It was around 8 o'clock at night. When I got downstairs, I nearly froze. _

_Anita, yes Anita, our real estate agent, was sitting at my dining room table with my father, having a drink. I'm not sure why this scene affected me so much, but it filled me with almost jealousy now that I look back. I mean maybe I reacted wrong. _

_I paused; about to turn around, hopefully they hadn't seen me yet. I could see my father open his mouth to laugh at something Anita said, his mouth already partially open when he caught me. He smiled wide. _

"_Cato! Come over here son." Anita laughed. _

_I forced my feet to move forward, approaching my father and her. He noticed the paper clutched in my hand. _

"_Is that our coat of arms? Can we see it?" suddenly, I didn't want the women to see something special, like a glimpse into our life. I shook my head. _

"_Oh, come on. Anita's trustworthy." He smiled at her. _

_The rage I felt surprised me. Those two seconds I lost control was almost too much. "It didn't take you long to forget about mom, did it?" with that, I ripped my drawing in half and threw it at him. "Here you go, I hope its good enough." I turned around and left. _

_Even if I was only 14, it still hurts to think about it. I mean, not 4 years later, the old Cato returns, this time more permanently. My father wasn't trying to forget about my mother, Anita made him happy, she wasn't mean or anything, and she just wasn't my mother. It hurts to remember her. If you haven't already guessed, she does become my step-mother. I sort of accepted her over the last 4 years. Not without help of course, but I'll explain that later. I don't really see her often. She lives in a cottage close to town. _

_So, to shorten the story slightly. My dad and she hung out more frequently. At first, I thought it was just a fling, I hoped it was. But, as the dates became more often, I realized my father was serious, he was looking for someone. And, I became bitterer about it. When I turned 15 I attended school and avoided the two of them. When I turned 15, my father proposed to her. They had been dating about 7 months. She said yes. I remember how my father broke the news. _

_As soon as I stepped into the room, I knew something important had happened. My father and Anita usually went out on Wednesdays, they didn't usually stay home. I swallowed and waited to hear what they had to say. _

"_Cato." My father began. That's when I saw it, the flash of silver on Anita's hand. I could see the bright diamonds from here. _

"_You proposed." A statement. _

"_Yes. Anita and I are getting married." Another statement. _

"_Isn't that great?" he added. That's when I thought it over. _

_She made him happy, the seven months they dated and he hadn't had a Depressed State. They both were happy. I swallowed. _

"_Yes that's great." I couldn't help it. "She'll never be mom." _

_As soon as I said that my father looked ticked off while Anita gasped in surprise. She hadn't expected that response. I hadn't said a rude thing to them the entire time they dated. I just avoided them. _

"_Cato, that's enough." My father boomed, "Go to your room."_

_I merely nodded and stalked out. But, instead of going to my room, I snuck out the back door. _

_I hopped on my bike and peddled hard. I didn't stop or slow down, the night was bright, the moon full. I could only focus on breathing. In out. Faster. I powered up a hill, not making a noise except for a steady breath. I continued until sweat began to soak my brow and my breath now came in labored gasps. Finally, after I was whipped in the face by a spiny branch, I did stop to take stock of my surroundings. _

_I was surrounded by woods. I could see the lake which we lived by from here; I also could see a dock. I propelled onward, not stopping until I reached the water's edge. I sat down on the dock, overlooking the inky black lake. _

_I inhaled deeply, not crying but I slowly slumped to the ground, head in my hands. Yeah, I don't cry so don't expect me too. You might be wondering, how this shows anything, other than a bitter teenager. None of this proves how you became so nasty. Well, just wait, the best is yet to come. _

"_Rough day." At that moment, the moment where I first met her, all the anger I'd been feeling, all the bitterness, the hatred, the pain, seemed to vanish. I turned to see a girl around my age. Her hair immediately stuck out to me. It's usually a golden blonde but that night, washed in moonlight, it was the purest silver I had ever seen. The moon, reflected in her eyes, only added to the brightness already there. _

"_You could say that." I remained guarded, even though a large part of me wanted to just hug her. I'm pretty sure I was scaring her. _

_She shook her head, "Well, I don't want to remind you of it then. I'm Talia Glimmer West. But everyone calls me Glimmer." _

"_Cato." _

"_Well, Mr. Cato, you are so talkative." Glimmer and I became instant friends, she never pressed and I listened to her. I just-_

**Ok, while short, it's better than no update right? Please R&R! Oh, and I'm going on vacation next week so I can't update for a while. A bunch of reviews when I get back would be a wonderful surprise. Enjoy. **


	4. Glimmer

** Ok, I'm bored so I'm going to update. R&R!**

** Oh and in reply to rjawadx: Cato and Glimmer happened before Cato was changed. Cato is writing 4 years BEFORE modern day (Katniss's time) and he's writing about what happened before he became a beast. (How he became a player and a heart breaker). GalexKatniss you will see a little later will be helping with the plot. You'll see that in some future chapter. **

_4 years ago._

_ Yeah, a whole other year. I almost had to force myself to write this. I mean, it's embarrassing, crying as you write a story, even though no one sees you. Glimmer. She helped me. She helped me see that life wasn't that bad. Even her name meant something. Like a Glimmer of hope. Or a Glimmer of light in a dreary place. Anyway, it hurts. It hurts badly to remember her. I almost couldn't do it. Anita suggested I write about my 'feelings.' Well, I think she's wrong. _

_ It's lonesome here. I get bored. No one is really here except for a few people. _

_ Skipper; the captain of the guards. _

_ Thyme; the head cook. She and her minions really grate on my nerves but they were alright I guess. _

_ Anita; occasionally, about once a month she visits. My father never does. He refuses. _

_ Grin; one of the bumbling guards. _

_ Archer; the smart guard (He's difficult to evade.)_

_ That's my family now. _

_ Any way, onto the story of Glimmer. My one lov- true girlfriend. I met her three years before my 18__th__ birthday. That was right after my father decided to propose to Anita. Before we moved to Cali. Before I became Cato the "Heartbreaker." Before Clove and that stupid dare. Before everything. _

_ She found me on that bridge, me feeling as if the whole world was against me. I was 14 and she was 13. Even then her personality shone. _

_ "Whatcha thinking?" it was almost comical. Her slender form was a stark contrast from my massive form even at 14. The wind howled above us and the waves roared angrily. Even still her eyes shone brightly. _

_ I shrugged. "Nothing." _

_ I looked up in surprise when she slid her small hand into mine. "We can think about it together." _

_ I couldn't help but smile at her. It almost felt foreign to do so. I immediately dropped it. _

_ "Aw don't, you looked happy for a second." Her pouty face was so fake that I let out a small chuckle. _

_ She shivered in the cold. I shifted closer to her and wrapped and arm around her shoulders. My warm hand rested on her goose-bump covered arm. She was very pale. I noted. Like a beautiful vampire. _

_ "Now what are you thinking?" she snuggled closer. _

_ "You're very pretty." _

_ She laughed. "Can I tell you a secret?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "I think you're handsome." Hearing those words were like a burst of happiness. I had just met her but suddenly it seemed like I wanted to kiss her. We stared deep in each other's eyes, slowly moving closer. _

_ The rain began to fall ruining our picture perfect moment. I sighed. Glimmer stood up and grabbed my hand. She helped pull me up. _

_ "I have to get home." _

_ I frowned, "Why?"_

_ "My parents are going to miss me."_

_ "Will I see you again?"_

_ "I live in the white house over there." She pointed to a few lights glowing through the rain._

_ "You live close."_

_ "Yeah, I saw you coming to the dock. You looked so sad, I wanted to visit you. Why were you sad?"_

_ "My father…he's marrying this woman. But he had a wife. My mother. She died."I sighed in frustration. "I feel like he's replacing her." _

_ "Don't you want him happy?"_

_ "Yes but-"_

_ "Well maybe this new lady can help him be happy again."_

_ "I guess." _

_ She gave me a peck on the cheek, "Just give her a chance." With that she turned and bounded back towards her home. I couldn't help but smile as I got on my bike and peddled home. I thought I had gone far but I really was only a mile or so from my house. _

_ 3 years and 6 months ago-_

_ When I got home, I apologized to my father. He was shocked. I remember our conversation. _

_ "Dad. I'm sorry; I should've never acted like that." _

_ "Cato." He stood and wrapped me in a hug. I was embarrassed as a few tears fell from my face. "I'm sorry. I know it must feel like I'm replacing mom. I'm not. I'll never stop loving her, but I also love Anita. I know she'll never replace your mother-"_

_ I cut him off. "Dad, I'm going to give her a chance. If she makes you happy there must be something that reminds you of mom. I guess she's alright." _

_ "Thank you." _

_ Something changed between my father and I. we became more understanding; I hung out with him more. Our relationship blossomed. I gradually let Anita in too. And I spent more time with Glimmer. Every free second. She would comfort me; she always knew what to say. She was pretty, and delicate like a flower._

_ Then one day. It happened. _

_ We were sitting together; I had packed a picnic for us. We sat side by side on a hillside watching the sea. I rolled the box between my fingers nervously. Glimmer was oblivious, eyes partially closed as she ate her chocolate chip cookies. _

_ "Glim?" I coughed hesitantly. _

_ She swallowed and covered her mouth. "Yeah?"_

_ "I got you a present. For being there for me when I needed a friend." Yeah, I wasn't great with the sappy stuff._

_ I handed her a clumsily wrapped box and watched as she joyfully took it. She unwrapped it and smiled as she held up the hand carved bracelet. I had created it. It was wooden; the beads were intricate roses and the chain was the stems. The smaller beads on it were gray thorns. She squeaked happily. _

_ "I love it." And I kissed her. She was so surprised for a moment she just sat there. And then she kissed back. It was wonderful. I had never kissed a girl before. Glimmer would kiss me on the cheek at times but never a real kiss. _

_ I closed my eyes and slowly pulled away. Her cheeks were flushed pink and she had a sheepish smile on her face. I smirked. _

_ "For once you're at a loss for words."_

_ "Thank you Cato." _

_ And our relationship only grew more. _

"Phone." Prim shoved the plastic device in my hand and continued eating her chips. I gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is this Katniss?" a cool, suave voice on the other end purred.

"Yes? Who is this?"

"Why Katniss, after our meeting how could you forget me?" a mock growl.

I nodded, "Oh, hey Gale."

"Yeah, well I was wondering. Since you're new and all, I think it would be polite to take you to this little get together my friends and I are going to. You could meet the cool people; I'd show you around a little bit. It could be fun."

I could hear the smirk in his voice. He already knew what my answer would be. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. I'd love to go. It'd be nice to meet new people." It was true; I really would enjoy looking around this dump of a town and meeting the new people here. Nice start before school. Did I think Gale was cute? Yes. Handsome? Yes. Did I like him? No.

"Alright, I'll pick you up at 8 o'clock sharp tonight. Wear something sexy." With that he hung up.

Something sexy? I decided on a sea green dress that stopped above the knee. It hugged my waistline and flared out silkily. The top half had a sweetheart neckline with jewels around the waistline. Of course, I didn't pick it out. Prim, my fashion obsessed sister, chose it. She chose black strappy heels and a silver Mockingjay necklace. I had silver hoop earrings to match.

As I waited by the door, my father passed me by. He threw was wearing dark jeans and a black jacket.

"Bye hon." He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and began to head out the door.

"Where are you going?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I have to go back to the office to do some catching up on the paper work. You know, boring adult stuff. Have fun tonight, you look beautiful."

Gale showed up one minute early with a tan pants and a handsome polo.

"Wow. I love the look." He took my hand and led me towards his car. "I hope you're ready for excitement!"

** Ok, looooong time before update, I apologize. Please R&R!**


	5. Busted

** And after a month or so (I'm really sorry) here's your update! I hope you guys like this chapter, it might not have journal this time. This one miiight be a little shorter, but the plot is finally starting! Can I get to fifty reviews for this chapter? I just love reaching certain points and I'll give a special shout-out to lucky review number fifty (Plus you'll win a special prize. A secret special prize) =) R&r!**

Boggs first heard about the house in the tavern. He was sitting back, enjoying a taste of water after a hard day of work. The cool drink felt soothing on his coal-coated throat. He already had two shots of who knows what. The drinks were making his head foggy and he was trying to quench the buzz with his water.

He pinched the bridge of his nose to prevent the headache from growing. He heard the raucous laughter from the other miners at a nearby table. He knew them all by name. Or eye. Face was difficult when it was coated in coal dust. He coughed and gave up on trying to quell the buzz.

"Another shot." He motioned to the bartender. The burly, bald man nodded and went to prepare his drink. He slid it down the row. He threw the money on the table for the check and skirted over to the men, drink in hand.

"Boggs." The man currently telling a tale paused. The others moved over to clear him a spot. He gave a nod of acknowledgment and threw back his drink. The burn of liquor was a pleasant bridge away from reality.

"So anyways," the worker continued, waving his hands around wildly, "I heard it from Sharky. He says Grin comes by his shop once a week for supplies. I'm telling you, theys rich! The butler or whatever has a Rolex! A Rolex! What kinda butler has that? I don't know what theys doing over there in total seclusion."

Boggs instantly perked up at the mention of money. His glass was momentarily forgotten. "Where?" Having only moved here a week ago, he didn't really remember where everything was. He had met his wife here. A slight tingle of grief flashed through his body. He met his wife here. This is why she wanted to move to Alaska. To spend the last days of her life where she had spent the first.

The man talking, was his name Joe? John? Turned to face him. His smirk showed teeth stained black from soot. "The old Fisher place. The family owned the place for years. Not too many people actually live there. Just a few housekeepers or something."

And so Boggs did more research on it. Lots more. He found out that the family moved there about 11 years ago. They moved to New York for some reason. The house has been maintained by housekeepers. He wasn't sure how many. Three or four. He found out the location of the house. There weren't any security systems. There was a front porch light and a light up in a the top window. He could pull it off.

He needed money. Badly. Mining didn't pay that well. He had bills, hospice bills, new house bills, electricity bills, the list was never ending. He desperately needed the cash. He had to keep his family together. He would do ANYTHING for them. Anything at all. This is why he was even considering breaking into the Fisher Castle.

He lay low, pressed on his belly against the grass. He had told Katniss he was 'working late.' She believed him, heading out with some guy to visit the town. He brushed a stray tear away. He didn't even ask what his name was, where they were going, when they'd be back. He was a terrible father.

_ She'll understand some day._

He slipped the ski mask over his head, adjusting the mouth slightly. He peered at his entrance. A window in the back that was left ajar. Hopefully, since it was almost one in the morning, everyone would be asleep. The window was merely to chase away the stuffiness.

He had left the house early and had spent the last several hours observing. He could be a professional thief, Boggs thought with a wry smile.

He bounded out of the woods and reached the opening. He tightened his shoes and slung the black bag over his shoulder. He was reminded of a cartoon he used to watch. He looked like the stereotypical thief. He just wouldn't get caught.

He pressed a foot against the wall, tensing slightly. He used momentum to throw his other foot over the sill. His fingers gripped the curve for balance. Boggs slid to the ground, staying low. He listened for any sound of alert.

He was a fit man. He worked in the mines at his old job and he worked in the mines for the new. While dangerous it gave him a certain thrill. It kept him fit. Maybe even malnourished. Better than fat though.

No alarm sounded. He skipped the framed photos on the wall. He wasn't interested in any trivial item. He padded towards a general direction. First target was the kitchen. Just as he prayed, they had actual silver silverware. Like the castle they were old fashion, no cheap metal stuff.

He grasped several handfuls, wrapping them in a cloth he found tucked on a handle to minimize sound. He slid the large bundle in his bag. It was more of a backpack really, thick nylon durable.

He moved into the next room. This one contained nothing of any interest. He headed into the ajoining. Jackpot. In the closet of the room was a small safe. As in, holding valuable items. He didn't hesitate, just shoved the item in his bag. The contents rattled nicely.

Boggs decided to head upstairs. The second floor was even better than the first. On the first he knew for a fact the house servants slept on. On this floor he wouldn't have to be as quiet. This floor was even more promising. He found a lady's room. The box on top was filled with jewelry. He shoved several handfuls in his bag. It rattled when it hit the metal box safe.

He turned to leave that room when something slammed into him. He was thrown backwards as if he ran into a brick wall.

A dark shadow loomed over him. It paused for a second before lunging at him. It was like getting slammed into a rock. The force knocked the wind out of him, he could feel the attacker, coarse, rough fur filling his nostrils, choking him. A feral growl ripped through his ears. He was being attacked by a guard dog. He didn't know they had a guard dog!

The animal jerked away from him suddenly. Boggs was yanked on his feet and shoved into the bed. The creature suddenly rose taller, his monstrous frame seeming to block out even the faint moonlight filtering into the room. Boggs opened his mouth in the beginnings of a scream.

The creature slapped a hand over his mouth. He blinked in shock for a moment before almost freezing from surprise.

"Don't scream." The voice was low, husky with an edge of rawness. It sounded hesitant, yet holding back barely contained rage.

He nodded mutely. The furry hand moved away. The room was much too dark for him to see anything. Was this a man? Was he wearing a costume?

"You've broken into my house." The voice was quieter now, speaking facts.

"I could have you arrested." The animal hissed. He paused for a moment. "Obviously you're desperate. What could it be? Huh? Bills, drugs, drinking problem?" Boggs realized he was waiting for an answer.

"My wife, she's in Hospice. I can't afford that and supporting the rest of my family." He admitted.

"Rest of your family?"

"My two daughters." His voice caught, "Katniss and Prim."

"How old?"

"Seventeen and thirteen."

It was weird, sitting here in a dark room having a conversation with a total stranger after just being caught robbing his house. He wuold've laughed if he wasn't in so much trouble.

"So if you're arrested, your daughters will have no one left? You recently moved here right? Who will take care of them then?"

Boggs suddenly broke down; he realized the man/thing was right. No one would help. They were all alone without him. And now his family's doom was staring him right in the face.

"Please."

"Please what?" the teen's voice had taken a threatening edge.

"I'll do anything. Money if that's what you want I-"

"I don't want money. You do have something of value though."

"What?"

"Your daughter."

**Oh my goodness I'm so sorry I didn't save this document properly! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Anyways, fiftieth reviewer gets a 'special prize!' what could it be? Please R&r! sorry again about the mistake!**


	6. The Dagger

**Thanks sooo much for the reviews guys! I wasn't going to update until I got reviewer number fifty, but hey, that would be awhile. So, please R&r…can we make it to fifty this time? Oh, and if you read the last chapter the first day I published it, somehow the document didn't save properly and the ending got cut off. Soo, you could go back and reread the last chapter, I fixed it and added it in, but I'll make the beginning a flashback so anyone who's really lazy doesn't have to do that =)**

_Boggs suddenly broke down; he realized the man/thing was right. No one would help. They were all alone without him. And now his family's doom was staring him right in the face._

_"Please."_

_"Please what?" the teen's voice had taken a threatening edge._

_"I'll do anything. Money if that's what you _want_ I-"_

_"I don't want money. You do have something of value though."_

_"What?"_

_"Your daughter."_

Katniss' POV;

I kept my head up and looking as we drove. It was comfortably quiet as Gale focused on not crashing his black 2011 Mustang GT. The town wasn't big, that was for sure. It was such a difference from New York. Everywhere was usually crowded and bright city lights could be seen for miles away. I felt a hint of longing to go back.

_You can't go back. _Ever_. Your mom needs you now. _

"You ok?" Gale glanced over for a second to look concerned.

I nodded. "Yeah, just thinking about how different this is from New York."

He smiled. "It must be different. This place must be such a transition." It was true. We were approaching the town and the light was minimal. There was no large building, no huge advertisements. Nothing. Not even a Rolex store.

Instead, everything seemed to have a sort of…quaintness to it. The stores weren't large, they seemed to be cozy. An arcade, a café, a small shopping center, a general store. Everything you needed within ten miles. No McDonalds it seemed.

Gale pulled into the arcade parking lot. His engine shut off with a smooth purr. He jogged over to the other side to open the door for me. I gave him a small smile.

"Am I overdressed?" I suddenly felt way to fancy for a town like this.

"Just enough to make the other girls jealous." He kissed my hand with a small smirk. I blushed and followed him into the gaming center. I was shocked.

"Wow."

He caught my stare. "Yeah, this is like the teen hangout on Friday nights. It's not just an arcade. There's pool, and a lounge. You name it. This way." He began to tug me towards a small group of kids crowding around what looked like a Pac man machine.

"Hey guys." The first couple kids turned to look for a moment before turning back excitedly towards the station. The kid at the joystick was extremely focused, a bead of sweat formed on his temple and his blue eyes were narrowed in concentration.

"Meet the gang." Gale continued talking like everyone was listening. "The girl over there." He pointed to a smallish girl with pretty blonde hair and dark brown eyes. "That's Madge." She finally turned to look at me.

"I'm Madge. Who are you?"

"I'm Katniss."

"What grade will you be in this year?"

"12th."

"Oh, I'm going in 11th." She seemed truly disappointed for a moment. A loud beep came from the machine and she hurriedly turned back to the gamer.

"That other girl," He pointed to a chubby looking girl with knotty yellow hair and gray eyes. "That's Delly." She had a bag of Cheetos in her hand and she barely glanced my way.

"The girl and boy." He pointed to two almost identical twins; the boy had short black hair and gray eyes. The girl had longer dark brown hair and similar gray eyes. "That's Rory and Posy. They're freshmen."

"And his brother." The girl said tauntingly. As soon as she said that, I immediately saw the resemblance. They all had dark hair and gray eyes.

"And they shouldn't be hanging with MY friends." Gale chuckled. Rory turned mockingly.

"Who's your girlfriend Gale?"

"Katniss." He said at the same time I said,

"I'm not his girlfriend."

His brother laughed and turned back to Pac man. Gale quickly eased the tension. "That guy who's a hardcore gaming nerd is Sourdough." I snorted.

The boy didn't even look up from his game. "It's Peeta and I'm just about to set a new high score!"

"Ok, so there's Madge, Delly, Posy, Rory, Peeta, and Gale?" I repeated slowly. Gale smirked.

"See, you'll fit right in."

Gale's friends were super nice. We hung out the whole evening. I grew more comfortable and confident. Several time my hand and Gale's brushed. He jerked his hand away but I chose to ignore it. Finally, at around one o'clock, he stood up.

"I think it's time to go." Everyone else seemed to agree so we all said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways. Gale took my hand and led me towards his car. My mind was sleep deprived and barely focusing.

Gale suddenly stopped right before the car. "Katniss." He whispered. I looked up at him.

He rubbed the back of his head. "I had a great time tonight."

"Me too."

"I hope we can do this again."

"Yeah, sure, that would be great."

He looked lost for a moment before his eyes met mine. Time seemed to slow and suddenly, before my brain could process it, he began to lean in ever so slightly. I was confused for a moment before it hit me.

_He wants to kiss me. _

For a moment I debated my options. I met him yesterday. We hung out together. He liked me. He wanted to kiss me. Did I like him?

_No._

I raised my hands, flattening them out into a palm. They moved upwards and rested on Gale's muscled chest.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. He seemed confused.

"Why?"

"I'm not looking for a relationship right now. I just moved here, and I'm trying to sort everything out. I think you seem like a great guy and I want to give you a chance. But, I just met you though, and I want take things really slow. I'm just not ready to be in a relationship at this moment."

He exhaled. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm willing to take things slow too." Much to my surprise, he dropped down on one knee.

"Katniss Everdeen. I have now known you for a full 24 hours. The time we spent together has been the most amazing day of my life. But, I respect your wishes and your boundaries. Will you…will you…be my friend?"

I couldn't help it. It was one in the morning and Gale was acting like he juts proposed to me. I burst out laughing. "Yes."

He got up with a smile. "I'm the happiest man alive."

"Ok, you're crazy."

He helped me into the car and off we drove. The mood was much lighter.

**Later that day (Mr. Everdeen)**

"Katniss?"

"Yes."

"Why?" just the thought of giving my dear up to this sick creature filled me with horror.

"Let's strike a deal then." The large boy took several steps towards me. "You send your daughter here. I won't hurt her, she will be well taken care of, and no harm will befall her. She must stay here until the end of the summer. Three months. If you do this, I will pay you one million dollars and I WON'T send you to jail for a very long time." Each word was dripping with malice, yet, I could hear the honest truth in his voice.

The offer seemed irresistible. Except, the bargaining chip was my daughter.

"One Million dollars?"

"Paid at the end of the summer. The very first day of school."

"She will not be injured?"

"I will see to it personally." That thought wasn't comforting, yet, everything seemed fair. Katniss would only be gone the summer, she wouldn't be hurt and he would receive more than enough money to pay for the bills.

He didn't know why it felt so wrong then when he answered. "Yes."

The boy chuckled. "Good. Now, I need you to swear something."

"Why?"

"I have to make sure you don't try anything."

"Ok." This seemed foolish but he really wasn't in a position to bargain.

"I Boggs Everdeen, swear that in two days, I will bring my daughter Katniss Everdeen back to the Fisher castle, and leave her there. If I do not hold my end of the deal, then I swear this on my life and my wife's."

"My wife's?"

"Insurance you uphold your end of the deal."

"Very well." he repeated the oath. The teen repeated his own oath.

"I swear that Katniss Everdeen will not be endangered while she is in my care. I will also pay Boggs one million dollars at the end of the Summer. If I do not uphold my end of the deal, than I swear this on my life."

He pulled out a gleaming silver dagger and sliced his palm. He tossed it to Boggs. "Slice your own."

Boggs frowned but agreed. Almost immediatly, a stinging sensation traveled up his arm. He winced and shook his hand. The sensation faded and in it's place was a glowing white scar on his palm.

"What is this?"

"It's a reminder. So you keep your end of the deal."

Was that magic? No, it had to be a trick. Even so, fear coursed through his body. It was only a trick. Was it?

"Ok." That came out as more of a whisper. "Will I be able to visit her?"

"I'll think about it."

This was the worst feeling in the world. The problem was, his daughter's safety was after the promise of one million dollars. Of all the conversation they've had, that stood out the most.

"You have two days to bring her here. Don't even think about backing out now."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

**There you go, short insight, g2g, please R&r! There, better now that it's been revised. Please enjoy =)**


	7. Goodbye

** Hey guys! Long time no see? Haha, here's a wonderful update because I just KNOW you missed me =) Please R&r and if you're bored waiting for me to update, feel free to check out my other stories. [This add has been brought to you by tacos, mmm]**

** This chapter isn't the best honestly. It's mostly Katniss' goodbyes and her mother is introduced. She's really the one who helps sway **

The next morning:

Katniss' POV-

"Katniss." My father was shaking me gently. "Wake up honey."

I let out a groan and rolled over. I snuck a peek at the clock. I shot upward. "Dad, its 6:30 in the morning!" my surprise was instantly replaced by irritation. "Why am I up right now?"

My father let out a sigh. "I've messed up Katniss. Bad. And this time, I can't undo my mistake alone."

I leaned back against my wall. My father's face was so full of sadness and grief and other emotions that it hurt to look at him. I looked away. "What did you do?" I knew my father sometimes drank a little bit. I also knew we were struggling. "Did you gamble our money away?" I demanded shrilly.

"I wish." He looked miserable. He took a deep breath and much to my surprise began crying. "I really wish." He put his head in his hands. His shoulders shook with deep sobs.

"Dad, you can tell me."

"I broke into someone's house. Ok?"

I leaned back slightly, "You did what?"

He sighed. "I broke into someone's house and they found me. They threatened to have me arrested, I thought I was going to lose you guys and I-"

"WHAT?" I shrieked. "How could you be so stupid? We were doing fine, dad."

"That's not all. The owner of the house…he…he wants you to live with them for the summer." That's what he was crying about. That's why he was so distressed.

I was at a loss for words. "You sold me for your freedom."

"NO! If you live with them for the summer, on the first day, one million dollars will be transferred into our account. And he swore you wouldn't be harmed."

"And you believed him?" I was searching frantically, very frantically for a way out. "Is there any way to not go there?"

"He had evidence. He said if you didn't show up in two days he was calling the police. You have to see this from my point of view. If I'm gone, who's going to pay the bills? What about Prim?"

I was still boiling with anger. What my father did was stupid and selfish. He thought without thinking. I shot him a look of disgust. "What does this guy look like? Is he old? Young?"

"He's a teenager. Like you. I never really saw his face though. He said nothing bad would happen to you."

"This is bad!" I hissed.

"Please Katniss, you can hate me, of course you can. But, I've had to make so many sacrifices. Please, if not for me, just do this for Prim."

He was still crying and looking sadly at me. I glared at him. "I'm not going." I stalked out of the room. "You can go to jail for all I care."

"Where are you going?"

"To see mom."

~0o0~

"Mom." I whispered. My bad mood evaporated immediately at the sight of her. Maybe my father was right. One million dollars could help pay for that surgery. The one that might save her life. Maybe I was the selfish one. She really needed this.

My mom had cancer. It was bad. Really bad. The sight of her was the final deciding point. One summer for my mother's life.

"Kat?" she whispered faintly. She was in a hospice because we couldn't afford the surgery. With the surgery, her chances of surviving were raised to 70%. Right now, it wasn't that high.

"I'm here."

She waved a hand in the air. "Come closer, I can't see you."

I swallowed back my tears and sat down at her bedside. I took her hand firmly. "How are you doing? You look good."

She laughed and it turned into a fit of coughing. "Thanks. I'm doing well today."

I felt my eyes begin to water. "Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"I have to go away for a little bit. Just for the summer."

"For a summer camp?"

Yeah, like that."

She closed her eyes, "That's a great idea. You can meet new people and make new friends. Don't stay around all summer because of me." She coughed, looking exhausted at her little speech.

"Ok mom. Just know I love you and I'll miss you ever night I'm gone." I kissed her cheek and held on tightly to her hand.

"I love you too, Katniss." She whispered. Her breathing evened out and she fell into a deep sleep.

I stayed with my mom and entire hour. I tried to memorize everything I could about her. I finally stood and gave her another kiss. I squeezed her hand and left. As I left the building, I brushed a tear from my eye and drove away. I still had one more person to say goodbye too.

"Gale." I whispered as soon as he opened the door. The first person I met when I moved here eyed me warmly.

"Hey Katnip."

"Katnip?" I teased.

"I think it suites you." He leaned casually against the doorframe. "But you're not here to talk about nicknames are you?"

"No. I came here to say goodbye."

Gale raised an eyebrow. "Goodbye? You just got here. Did I scare you away?"

"Don't flatter yourself." I smirked, "I'm going to a…summer camp. It's the whole summer. I'll be back by school though. I just thought I'd let you know. I knew you'd miss me."

He pulled me into a hug, "Everyday I will." Gale's breath was warm on my ear. "You have fun. Ok? But don't go and find any summer flings ok?"

"I'll try and keep the boys away."

"Have fun, Katnip." He let me go and pulled away. Gale's eyes held a touch of sadness by they still sparkled mischievously.

"You too Gale. And one more thing?"

"Ask away."

"Can you keep an eye on Prim? Just make sure she's alright and stuff. Keep the boys away please?"

"Anything for you m'lady." He bowed mockingly and closed his door.

I was feeling so much better, less angry, after those visits with the people I cared about. Now, I just had Prim and my father. I grimaced at his name.

O0

"But why are you leaving?" Prim was looking at me, her eyes watery. She hugged me tightly. "I don't want you to go Katniss."

"I don't want to leave either, but I have to go to summer camp. It's required for the college I'm going too."

Prim sniffled again. "But I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too. I'm leaving tomorrow though, so you still have me one more day. How about I take you to dinner?"

The 12 year old brightened immediately. "Ok. How about Panama Burgers?"

"Sounds fine to me!"

As I exited her room, my father was leaning against a wall. "You'll go?"

"Yes, but only for Prim and mom. Not for you." I spat the last part out angrily.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. He turned and slowly walked away.

~0O~

"Clothes, how much clothes am I going to need?" I hissed. I was going away all summer but how much stuff did I need? I settled on a suitcase full of clothes and then another one for my personals. Brush, makeup, hair stuff, all of that. Then, I carefully placed my scrapbook in the bottom.

It had all of my photos, photos of me, photos of my mom, and photos of Prim. It was my most valuable treasure. I closed my suitcases with finality. I was ready to go and live with some random guy I have never met for the entire summer. I felt nervous suddenly. What if he was a total weirdo?

I guess I was just going to have to find out. Maybe.

**Well, nothing really eventful really happened, but this chapter had to happen. Don't worry, Katniss and Cato will finally meet next chapter, I promise! Please R&r!**


	8. Cato

**So, I saw October Baby and its really sad. So, watch it if you like sad, inspirational movies. Honestly. I loved it. There's a huge storm going on right now, so thanks to hurricane Sandy. **

** Haha, I actually love the rain. It's so soothing. R&r!**

"Katniss." As I began to pack my stuff in the car, my father came up beside me. "I just want you to know that I'm so sorry. If I could change anything, I would've never gone there. I would've tried to find money elsewhere."

Maybe it was the fact that I was about to leave my family, or maybe it was the fact I wouldn't see him for the rest of the summer, but I was feeling sappy. I could feel almost all my anger washing away, leaving me feeling strangely empty.

I brushed a hand over my eye. "Dad, if you hadn't done that, we wouldn't be getting the million dollars for mom's surgery. This could save her life."

My father's eyes misted over. "I can never forgive myself, Katniss."

I put my hand over his. "I can forgive you."

"Thank you." I hugged my father and drew away. "Let's go." I headed towards the passenger side of the car. He got in the front.

"Katniss!" Prim came sprinting out of the door. She threw herself in my arms. "I'm going to miss you." I explained to her last night over dinner that I had to leave and I would try to keep in touch. I hugged her tightly, realizing I would probably miss her the most.

I swallowed another lump in my throat and got in the car, for real this time. My little sister was crying softly now, her gaze misting over. I waved to her one last time before she vanished from sight.

We drove for a long time, in complete silence. I mean, what do you say to each other?

_Yeah, I'm off to live with a complete stranger for the summer. _

_ Oh, have fun._

_ Thanks for trading my life. _

_ Anytime. _

So anyways, finally, my father began an extremely long drive up an extremely long driveway. I hadn't seen any other houses for about an hour. The driveway was surrounded by trees, trees, and more trees. I was getting sick of them.

The unpaved drive went on for at least two miles. The gentle bumping of the road was soothing. I was beginning to get lulled to sleep. Finally, the rocking stopped and I was being shaken awake.

I got out of the car and stared at my new home. I was reminded of old childhood nursery stories; the house was literally a castle. It looked ominous. It was a dark gray cobble stone complete with towers rising sharply towards the sky. The tops were jagged, forbearing. A tattered flag or something hung from the top of the ramparts.

The doors appeared to be two massive half circles made of oak. The stone steps leading up to the door did little to quench the fear in my gut. The slam of the door to my left made me grateful my dad came with me.

Boggs grabbed my bags and began to walk towards the castle. He stopped and stared at the door. I made my way over to his side.

"You don't have to do this." He whispered, staring at the doors.

"Yes, I do." I stood tall. I began to walk towards the castle. The door seemed to open on their own accord. For a moment, the two of us didn't move. We seemed entrapped by some sort of invisible thread, tugging us towards the gaping black abyss that the door opened into.

Then, a slow rasping noise filled the quiet. It seemed to drag. Rasp. Drag. Rasp. Drag. Then, a small figure hobbled into sight. It was a woman, an older one. Her face was wrinkled and grizzled. Her hair, at least what was left of it, was clumpy and gnarled.

She paused at the edge of the door, foot hovering hesitantly. Afraid to step into the sunlight. "Enter." She beckoned. My father and I stepped forward. "Just the girl." She hissed.

I realized what that meant. I fought back another lump in my throat and turned towards my father. "Bye. Dad." I whispered.

My dad seemed pained. He pulled me into a hug. "I love you, Katniss." I returned the hug.

"I love you, too." I picked up my bags and my father was gone.

~0o0~

The lady introduced herself as Mrs. Prince. She ushered me in and took my stuff. Then, she was gone.

"Master will see you shortly." She scuttled off. I was left in the main room all by myself. The empty halls seemed to stare at me and I felt suddenly cold and uncomfortable. I decided to explore.

Down the first hallway was a ton of doors. Rows and rows of them. I chose one at random. It was a ballroom.

Just like out of a dream. With high arching ceilings and reflecting floors. A small stage sat in the middle of the larger wall. This really was a castle. I ran my hand along one of the columns by the doorway. The smooth marble twinkled from the reflected lights.

"Beautiful isn't it?" a deep voice interrupted my admiring. I turned around to see who had spoken. It was a boy.

He seemed normal. From what my father had told me, he was massive and scary. He was around 6' 2" with feathery blond hair and dark blue eyes. They sparkled with barely contained humor. I would estimate his age to be 17 or 18.

"Yes." I managed to stutter out. He was really handsome. Like really. I reminded myself I didn't come here to fall head over heels with the evil guy. At least that would make the summer go along faster.

Yeah, I had already decided he must be evil, to threaten my father. I guess I would always side with my dad, since he WAS my dad. I still didn't like this guy.

The boy was staring at me, making me really uncomfortable. He coughed. "Where are my manners? Excuse me. I'm Cato." He crossed the room and picked up my hand, lifting it to his lips and kissing it.

Unconsciously, I jerked it away. Who was this weirdo? "I'm Katniss."

Cato seemed unfazed by my hostility. "I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you to live here."

"Asked? You threatened my dad and forced me to come here?" I hissed.

"Well. Who broke into whose house?" he countered smoothly. "I see it as a fair deal."

Cato's calmness was grating on my nerves. I was going to have to spend the entire summer with this guy. He already struck me as arrogant. Cato knew he was handsome. He was nothing like Gale.

I clenched my fists. "But." The blue eyed boy continued, "You didn't come here so we can sit around and point fingers. I won't harm you and you'll receive enough money to pay for your mom's surgery."

"How'd you hear about that?" I demanded.

"I make it a point to know what's going on in this town."

"I don't see how that's your business."

"I don't think you should complain." Cato took another step closer to me. "I chose not to send your father to jail. What would you have done then?"

I shoved him back, feeling the anger boil. "Why couldn't you have been a decent human and let him go? If you would have just waited to hear his story, maybe you would've had enough heart to take pity on him." I turned to storm away.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You can leave right now. Go ahead." He spread his arms. "Just answer one question."

"What?" I had yanked the door open and one foot was out.

"Why are you here?"

I hesitated again. "For my mom." I probably would've sounded a lot better if my voice hadn't cracked on the last m.

A deep breath came from behind me. "Look. I did this all wrong. I've made a terrible first impression."

"Yeah, I know."

"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for pulling you into this. I'll explain everything later. Right now, I'm sure you want to see your room."

Honestly, that was the last thing I wanted to do right now. I wanted to go home. "Yeah sure." I couldn't though. Not right now at least.

Cato led me through maze like corridors. "I do have some rules, Katniss." He turned left and I slipped after him. "One. No leaving your room after dark. Just ring the bell in your room if you need anything. Two. No leaving the house at night. Trust me."

"Wait, if I'm not supposed to leave my room, why would I be outside?"

"Because the first rule most likely will be broken before the end of the summer. I'm not stupid. At least I want you to stay in the house."

"Why?"

"It's dangerous at night." He stated. He turned down another corridor. "Rule number three." Cato stopped suddenly. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

I snorted. "No." his eyes lit up. "And I don't plan on getting one."

"Rule number three." The boy continued. "Don't go up into the towers. Don't go in my room."

"Where is your room?"

"It has the words Cato on it. It shouldn't be hard to spot. I'm a few halls down."

"Ok. So don't leave my room at night, don't leave the house at night, don't go in the towers, and don't go in your room. Wow, basically stay in my room unless told otherwise. I just love rules."

Cato looked pained. "It's to keep you safe. Please." He stopped by a door. "Here's your room."

"Lovely." It was actually a decent room. It was big with a large four poster bed in the center with green bedding and white polka dots. The walls were painted a light green and the trim was white. The carpet of the room was a nice tan color.

Honestly, I was expecting something really old looking to meet the rest of the castle décor.

"The bathrooms is attached to your room, it's the door on your left. If you need anything, shampoo, soap, conditioner, clothes, just let me know. Dinner is at 5:30. You can do whatever you want until then."

"Thanks."

**Hmm, Cato's really normal? Right? Right? Is something wrong? Isn't this supposed to be a horribly altered creature? Read to find out what's going on! Trust me, this isn't what it seems. Cato is NOT normal. Haha, I'm so sneaky! R&r!**


	9. DinnerCaspian

**SORRY! really. So, yeah guys, I'd love to read your guy's storys. Just let me know and I'll check them out. Hunger Games preferably though...anyways, sorry again, and if you want me to read your HUNGER GAMES fic, just let me know. Just write, Hey Shads, ;) read my fics. Or something like that. R&r!**

I spent the rest of my time exploring my room. The bathroom was really nice too, with one of those fancy glass bowls for a sink. The shower was large and made of a dark tile.

My room was large and spacious. I explored ever nook and cranny of it. There really wasn't much to go on. I finished up by poking around in the closet. There actually was a ton of fancy dresses in there, like old fashioned sort of. I couldn't help but run my hand over them.

They were real, I realized in surprise. Most were a smooth silk and elegantly decorated. I couldn't help but pause on one of them. It was a strapless floor length wine red ball gown, with an embroidered top, and several teardrop shaped gems in the waterfall flows of the bottom part.

I picked it off the hanger, holding it up. "Wow." I murmured, enjoying how light it felt. The rest of the dresses were beautiful too. I wondered briefly if they had been placed here, or if this had been someone else's room before.

I wasn't sure if I found that thought weird or not.

It was currently 5:00. I decided to change into something semi-decent to wear for dinner. I settled on a flowy red tank top. I put on dark skinny jeans and light brown sandals. It was completed with hoop earrings and a red necklace. I spun around in the mirror, admiring my choice. You may have already guessed that red was my favorite color.

I liked red for a variety of reasons. For one, it reminded me of fire. Fire was fierce and had a mind of its own. You cannot control fire. I liked that. It reminded me of well, me. I had a 'fiery' temper as Prim always teased, and as my dad always commented, I was impossible to control.

For another, it had so many varieties. Red varied from firetruck red to maroon to wine red. I really didn't know all the names. Prim was more of the fashion expert than I. She knew all sorts of shades of colors. Like, "Katniss, I think you look much better in the sienna than the peru brown."

Um, ok. Anyways, as I stepped outside into the hallway, I realized I had no idea where I was. I looked both ways and tried to remember what direction we came from. "Um." I mumbled, jerking my head left and right frantically. Shoot. I was pretty sure I had came from the right. I took two steps forward uncertainly.

"Meow." a soft purr from behind me startled me. I turned around and saw a little cat sitting calmly in the middle of the hall. It was a long haired gray cat with a cute little plum tail. Its eyes were a dark green as they stared calmly at me. There was a small white patch in the center of its chest.

I approached it cautiously. Prim had a cat, named Buttercup. He was a nasty tempered tabby who hated everyone except her. I wondered if this cat was like him. "Hey kitty." I murmured softly.

The cat's ears perked up but he kept his seat. He finally stood up and began to walk away. I stopped walking towards it and turned around. "Fine." I muttered. It obviously didn't like people and didn't want me around. I was about to continue down the path I was taking was something brushed against my leg.

The gray cat was rubbing his body lovingly against my leg. His green eyes stared into mine and he padded a few steps down the left hallway. When I didn't move, he walked back over to me and flicked his tail. He then padded back to the left hallway and stared at me expectantly. I blinked a few times as he flicked his tail again. It almost looked like he was beckoning me forward. He meowed again and began to walk away.

"This place is just getting weirder and weirder." I muttered, beginning to follow the gray cat.

He seemed to know exactly where he was going, weaving in and out of the hallways as graceful as, well, a cat. The cat never got too far from my sight, stopping if I hesitated and giving a meow of impatience.

Finally, we came to a elegantly set dinning table, overflowing with food. Cato was nowhere to be found. The gray cat lept up into one of the chairs and circled around a few times before sitting down. He stared at me and his tail beckoned me forward. I think.

_I just followed a cat to the dinning table. He's now seating me. Can this get any weirder? _I walked over and just before I reached the cat, he jumped down and left me the seat. I settled down. No sooner than my butt had been introduced to the comfortable seat, the doors opposite of the ones I came in flew open and Cato strode in. My gray friend scurried away from me, leaping up nervously on a shelf nearby.

Cato looked slightly flustered, his hair splayed out and his shirt un-tucked. His gaze settled on me for a moment, his lips curling into a smile. "I apologize for my tardiness, Katniss." he gave a small bow. "I had some important business to attend to." He never took his eyes off me as he went and sat down opposite of me.

I suddenly felt exposed in my red tank top. And self-conscious. I tugged the shirt hem. "It's fine."

"And you found your way to the dinning hall fine?"

"Yeah, that gray cat helped me." I added with a nervous laugh. I was afraid he would think I was crazy for following a cat.

Cato chuckled. "Yes, I told Caspian to make sure you found your way alright." He nodded at the gray cat. "He's a smart one."

"Very." I mumbled. _He talks to cats. Nothing wrong with that right? ...Right? _Any further conversation was cut off as another set of doors opened up. The maid walked in, carrying a tray of tea.

She set down a cup in front of me and poured it. Then she did the same to Cato. Satisfied, she left as quickly as she appeared.

Awkward silence followed. I tried to quietly sip my tea and I heard Cato rustling around. I look up to meet his gaze. "So, do you live here alone?" I couldn't help but ask. It only seemed fair to get to know him, since he seemed to be my only companion for the next few months.

Cato swallowed whatever food he was eating and cleared his throat. "Not exactly. There's the maid. And Caspian." He gestured to the cat. "And I do get visitors from time to time."

"How old are you?" I tilted my head curiously. "Do you go to school then?"

The blue eyed boy chuckled mockingly. "I"m 18. I was privately tutored, but I finished school...early."

"I'm 17. My birthday is in two months." I put in. I reached towards some of the food. Cato was perfectly comfortable eating it, and since I was hungry, might as well. I grabbed a delicious looking roll of bread.

I took a big bite of bread. Mmm, I was right, it was delicious.

We chatted about trivial things for a while, I'm not even sure how long. Cato was charming and witty, ever the model house guest. I decided to ask some bolder questions now. After all, we had been talking for about an hour.

"So, where's your parents? Do they live here too?"

Cato's eyes flashed with an emotion. Pain? Anger? Hurt? "My father lives...elsewhere. My step-mother visits me sometimes though." he seemed suddenly jumpy.

I perked up. "Step-mother? What happened to your real mother?"

Cato let out a growl and slammed a fist into the table. I jumped in shock. The teenager was breathing deeply, eyes darkening. He turned to me, gaze furious. "Stop it!" He shouted. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, breathing oddly. He took several deep breaths. I noticed a bead of sweat trailing down the side of his face. I watched his hands shake slightly and he clenched them into fists.

Finally, after several moments, he seemed to regain his composure. He turned to look at me. "I apologize, I get these awful headaches at night, and sometimes, I can't control myself." He looked really embarrassed, so I decided to let it go.

"It's alright, I shouldn't have been prying." I mumbled. From the distance, I heard the faint rumble of thunder.

The blond boy let out a shaky chuckle, more of a nervous laugh really. Caspian let out a loud meow from his corner. Cato exchanged a long look with him, full of understanding.

"You know, it's getting late. I think you should turn in." Cato cast a worried look around.

I narrowed my eyes. "I haven't really eaten yet though." I protested. I had been so busy talking to Cato, I really forgot to eat much.

"I'll have the maid bring you up a platter of something." Cato got up. "Caspian will escort you back to your room now. I have to go..." He hesitated, "attend to some personal business."

This place and Cato's behavior was getting weirder and weirder. My host stood up and hurried out of the room, mumbling to himself.

The gray cat stood up when summoned. He flicked his tail at me and began to pad away. I really didn't want to get lost in the halls at night, so I followed my guide quickly.

Once I was in my room, I realized how exhausted I was. I desperately needed sleep. And I would sleep. "Goodnight." I murmured to Caspian. He had stayed in my room, perched on my dresser. His eyes flashed in the darkness, strangely comforting. I fell asleep quickly, my dreams full of talking winged creatures and strange shaggy beasts.

** Ok, if you're like, what the heck is going on, don't worry. I made this chapter super confusing on purpose. Sorta...anyways, sorry for not updating. Truly. I feel awful. **

** But, the next chapter will probably clear up a bunch of the confusion...mostly. And yes, Caspian is going to be important. You'll see. The last line cough foreshadowing cough * is important. **

** Once again, sorry for the confusing chapter, it will be cleared up, I promise. In the next couple chapters. I'm leaving for four days tomorrow, so I'd really love to reach 100 reviews for when I come back...please? That'd make my day. Really. **

**Until them, R&r!**


	10. FairyTale

I woke up to a crashing sound. At first, I was completely disoriented. I looked around frantically. I was in a strange dark room, definitely not my home. The bed wasn't mine either. Then, everything came crashing back, leaving me with a deep hole and a painful sadness.

My father had traded my life.

It didn't really matter to me anymore though. I was doing this for my mother now. Not my daddy. Maybe this was a good thing. This money could help pay for my mom's surgery and if my father hadn't done this, we would've never got the money.

Then again, at least Cato wasn't ugly. In fact, he was really good looking. He was sweet and a gentleman. There was just something off about him, I couldn't quite pinpoint. Maybe I was just being paranoid. I had locked both doors from the inside. Honestly, I didn't really think Cato would try anything, It was just a precaution.

I turned my head slightly, noticing a dark shadow off to my left. I saw something crouched on the dresser. _Caspian? _I thought. My throat felt really dry. The cat let out a meow.

Reassured, I decided to go and get a drink of water from the bathroom. The cool water felt fantastic on my throat. Feeling much better, I padded back towards my bed.

I stopped by the dresser to pat the gray cat. There was something odd about him though. He seemed really agitated and moved away when I got closer. He let out another meow and turned several times around.

"Are you alright bud?" I murmured, holding out my hand. The cat turned around a few more times. I wondered if he was sick. I moved to my bedside and turned on a light. My gaze glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was 2:30 in the morning.

I turned back to Caspian and froze in my tracks. My mouth opened and closed silently, staring at the animal in dumbfounded shock. I opened my mouth to scream and thought better of it. The cat stared calmly back.

When I lived in New York, the scariest animal I had ever seen was a bat.

I was walking down the road when I heard a rustling. I turned to see a cat leaping out of the bushes. It looked pretty startled to see me, because it dropped whatever it was carrying and ran off into an alley.

I couldn't help but check out what in the world the cat had dropped. It was a very ugly dark gray creature. The cat hadn't actually succeeded in killing it all the way. I knew that if Prim were here, she would insist on taking the ugly creature home and 'healing' it.

I on the other hand, was strangely fascinated. It was obviously a bat. The poor creature had a cut on it's shoulder from being carried. It turned to face me, letting out a hiss. I stepped back, giving it room.

After flapping around on the ground for several seconds, it let out a squawk of pain and took off into the sky. I continued to watch, admiring the leather skin of the wings and the way they stretched taunt to lift the creature into the air. The wings were very jagged, the curved ridges dipping into valleys. It moved fast enough until it was just a blur in the distance.

Now, I was staring at Caspian. The gray cat was sitting on my dresser, grooming himself. He looked pretty normal, his fur was just slightly ruffled. The only problem was the two wings protruding from his back.

My first thought was angel's wings. The two were a light dusty gray and made out of silky smooth feathers. I'd say at a glance they were about two and a half feet long. Maybe. Caspian didn't seem to care really. He kept his ears perked forward, staring intently at me as if gauging my reaction.

I wanted to scream. Really bad. "It's just a dream." I murmured to myself, not taking my eyes off the cat. It was like two in the morning and I was hallucinating. "A dream."

"Look, it really looks like all you people are the same." and that was that. Still staring at me, the gray cat's mouth opened up and seemed to be forming the words that I heard. I opened my mouth, ready to scream this time.

"Wait!" The voice was so frantic that it made me pause. Caspian got up and delicately padded over to where I was. "Please don't scream. Don't scream. It will make things worse." His eyes darkened. "He'll come."

That was the last straw. I sprinted towards the bathroom and slammed the door. The lock clicked shut with a finality and only then could I let out a breath.

I slumped down against the closed door, closing my eyes. _Just a dream. _I thought._ That wasn't real. You are just really stressed and tired. _I was too nervous to head back into the bedroom, so I just figured I'd sleep here. On the bathroom floor.

"Honestly?" I'm not sure how long I had been laying on the floor. I picked my head up as another curious voice sounded from the darkness. I whirled around to see Caspian picking his way towards me. There was a nightlight in this bathroom and it cast just enough light for me to see him.

"Please don't leave." the cat kept his eyes narrowed as he moved. His wings jutted from his back like twin clouds.

I didn't hesitate this time. I flew to the bathroom hall door and unlocked it. I closed it behind me and ran down the hall. I chose one door at random and got in, closing it behind me. It was a supply closet. I leaned against the wood panel and closed my eyes. I was exhausted now and I didn't know how to get back to my room.

"Are you an idiot?" the same voice came about five minutes later. I'm not sure how he found me, but I saw the gray cat's head peering down at me from a shelf. He let out a hiss and launched himself down, landing lightly beside me.

"Yes, I'm a talking cat, go ahead and gawk." Caspian's fur fluffed up and he let out a hiss. "I don't appreciate having to chase you around. I'm not your babysitter. But, it looks like you can't even follow the simplest of rules."

I tilted my head slightly. Caspian rolled his eyes. "Cato did tell you to stay in your room yes?" He lifted a paw and licked it delicately.

I finally found my voice. "Why are you talking?" it was the first thought that came in my head.

The cat only seemed to get angrier with me. I held up a hand. "I'm sorry, I don't actually live in a world where cats talk. Or at least, I thought I didn't."

"Well get used to it. And WHY am I talking? It's simple really. You see, this house is enchanted."

I blinked.

"You know, like magical? Cinderella? Tinkerbell? They all were centered around magic?"

"Why in the world is this house enchanted?" I gaped. This wasn't happening. _This house was magical?_ I thought magic didn't exist.

"It was a witch who did it. Like, eight years ago or something." the cat rolled onto his stomach. "I can talk because the moon makes the magic grow stronger. I can talk during the day, but it's tiring. At night these wings grow and it's so much easier to speak."

"Is that why Cato didn't want me to leave the room? Because of a talking cat?"

Caspian snorted. "No." He grew thoughtful. "But that's not my secret to tell." He hopped up and balanced delicately on my knees. "I can tell you one thing."

I leaned forward. "This house is like a magic hotspot. It's the equivalent of like a wifi hotspot. Everyone wants to be there. So, it attracts other...things...who are unexplainable drawn here. They can't get in the house, but they like to wander around the yard at night. That's why Cato doesn't want you outside."

I looked around eagerly. "Like what sort of things?"

"You know those fairy tales you read when you were a kid?"

I smiled as I remembered my dad reading me stories. My mood suddenly soured. My dad...

"Yeah, of course."

"Well they are very, very real."

**Well, slight writer's block, so I'm ending it there unless you want to wait another month...sorry...please R&r! Can I get 15 reviews for this chapter? Please, 15? 15? 15!**

**...sorry  
**


	11. Night and Sun

**Sorry for the late update, I really love getting reviews! Again, I'll try not to let it happen again...I feel awful. Any-who, enjoy :)**

**R&r!**

I leaned back, getting a good look at the talking cat. There I was, talking to a cat. If that was true, than maybe he wasn't lying. Maybe there was such thing as magic.

_Just go with it, Katniss. _

It's not like I had a choice. Either I was extremely tired and hallucinating, or this was real. Right now, it seemed pretty real. I normally was a calm, even mannered person, Prim was the dreamer, but this...this was too big...too elaborate to fake.

Was this cat actually talking to me? Was there really such thing as monsters? It seemed pretty far-fetched, but then again, I was talking to a cat. And it was talking back.

This was too vivid to be a dream.

"Real?" I squeaked out finally.

The cat yawned and nodded. "It's pretty real. I could prove it to you if you wanted, but I don't think master would appreciate that very much. He told me to keep an eye on you."

"Master? As in Cato?"

Caspian nodded. "He's in charge of this place. These are his rules." I nodded slowly, mind reeling, trying to digest everything he just told me.

"Will you be able to talk in the morning?" I already knew the answer, I just wanted to re-hear it.

Caspian rolled his eyes, "Yes, dear Katniss, I can. But, it doesn't mean I will. It's exhausting to do so during the day and draining. I prefer doing it at night, when I am most powerful."

"Is every magical creature like that?"

The gray cat sighed again. "The only reason I am answering your questions is because you are new here. I have never met someone so naïve." I stared at him, insulted. It's not like I grew up around magical beings and stuff.

The cat saw my look and settled down. "I'll tell you what I can, and then the rest will be up to you. Try the library, Master Cato has many useful books there."

"Where is that at?" I bristled, hating how ignorant I seemed. But this was a whole new world, one I had never even considered existed before.

"Just on the first floor and down the hall. You can't miss it." I tucked that information in my mind, deciding that's where I would go tomorrow morning.

"Anyways, yes, there are some creatures that are stronger in the day. They are Sun-Walkers. They're usually invisible to the common human and usually tend to their own business. There are several species though that do like to do a little mischief every now and again. You know, moving things, stealing things, tugging hair, that sort of thing.

They're usually good and that's why they are out during the day. To avoid what comes out at night."

Caspian's eyes darkened.

"Then, there's Night-Walkers. Some of them, are good. Most, are bad. They are what hide in the shadows at night. Those things that you don't see when you look out your window but have a chill like there's something watching you.

They are almost always dangerous, so any creature you encounter at night should be avoided."

"Wait a second!" I cut in, realizing something, "You're a Night-Walker." It made sense. He could talk at night and his powers came out at night. I wondered if he was one of the dangerous ones.

Caspian let out a purr of dark amusement. "You are observant." He rose up on his paws delicately. "My kind is very special. When we reach a special age, we have the choice. We can choose to walk at night or day. Each comes with its own power and burden."

He stopped, not delving any deeper. It sounded like a personal and touchy subject for him, so I let it go. I didn't want to press too much and lose my only friendly face in this place.

He carried a burden with him. I didn't know what it was, but it was there. I felt bad for the poor kitty, but also slightly in awe. I saw him in a new light. I didn't know what the powers and burdens were, but he had chosen to become a Night-Walker for a special reason, which I would hopefully one day learn.

"That is all. If you wish to learn more, you must travel to the library." The cat was once more mysterious and aloof. His openness to questions was gone and I was shut out.

"Alright." I stood up, getting ready to leave. "Thank you for your insight, that was really helpful. I'm going to head off to bed." I put my hand on the doorknob.

Caspian darted in front of me, hissing loudly. "Are you an idiot?"

"Are you? I'm not spending the night in a supply closet!" We both stared at each other, daring each other to back down.

Caspian sighed, fur lying flat again. "You can't leave yet. You're forbidden to walk around in the halls. At night."

I stared at him, debating how far I could make it before he found me again. With those wings, I wasn't too sure.

As if he read my mind, the cat tensed. "Don't even think about it. Wings aren't my only power."

I sighed and settled down. "Guess I have to sleep here tonight?" It couldn't be that bad. Just sleep her for one night in a closet. I could leave first thing in the morning. The worry and a tinge of fear in the cat's voice was enough to convince me that maybe, staying here wouldn't be that bad.

Caspian walked to the corner and circled around a sack a few times before laying down and curling up. "Guess so."

~O.0~

"Several species of Sun-Walkers include, but are not limited to, pixies, unicorns, fey. What the heck is this?" I mumbled to myself. It was morning, and, as promised, Caspian didn't speak to me. Maybe I had just made the whole thing up. Maybe I was just crazy.

It just...seemed too vivid to be a dream. I mean, I did wake up in a supply closet with Caspian curled around my feet. He didn't speak though and looked like any normal cat would.

I decided the best thing to do was go to the library and look up the books, like my possible dream had told me. I found several books up in the top shelved on magical creatures. I chose one at random and sure enough, there was one chapter on what I was looking for.

I skipped around, seeing several photos of various creatures. Unicorns? Seriously? There was an interesting section about how they were mainly invisible, unless they sensed you believed. "Like ghosts." I chuckled.

If you believed they existed, they'd show themselves to you. They were drawn to believers like a moth to a flame. How lovely. Then, I reached the section on Night-Walkers. Creatures of the night.

"There are several names for these species. The main one is known as Night-Walker, others call them Shadow-Creatures, Shadow-People, Night-Mares, Moon-Walkers. They can include vampires, were-wolves, nightmares and-"

"Hey, I was wondering where you went." I looked up, startled. Cato was leaning against the doorway, blue eyes staring intently. His lips were lifted into a smirk.

"And what are you reading?" He detached his body from the frame and strode towards me. For some reason, a wave of annoyance rolled over me. Why did I have to find out all this stuff from his CAT?!

"Oh you know." I slapped the book closed and held it up. Something flashed in his eyes for a moment.

"Sounds interesting."

"Yeah," I said, probably harsher than I should've sounded. "Your cat told me to read it." My lips twisted into a scowl.

Cato's smile dropped. He looked around awkwardly. "Oh, yeah."

I crossed my arms. "Yeah. I was wondering about that." There. He hadn't planned on telling me anything. "Did you honestly think that I would go the whole summer without finding out?"

Cato looked up at the ceiling and back at me. "Yes?"

My scowl deepened. "Yes? Is that a question or answer?" I realized something else.

"And what are you hiding? You obviously aren't normal either." I took a few steps towards him, hands balled at my side. I wanted answers. I wanted them right now. He had no right to keep all this from me. I was living in his house!

Then, a flash of fear washed over me. Cato might be a Night-Walker. He obviously wasn't a Sun-Walker. Was he dangerous? Was I in danger being here? "Is it even safe to live here?" I snapped.

Cato winced again. He looked years younger suddenly. "Yes." He answered, totally ignoring my first question I noticed. "I wouldn't let anything hurt you." He took another step towards me, until we were toe to toe.

He was so much taller than I was, and I was irritated about that. I barely came up to his shoulders. He was massive. Really big. His eyes were such deep blue and they burned with an intensity that started even me.

Staring into his eyes, I knew he was telling the truth. He would protect me. "What are you hiding?" I repeated, softer this time. I still was ticked, but he seemed to sincere and vulnerable, that I felt my anger slipping away.

Cato shook his head. "I'm not." When he met my gaze again, he had changed. His eyes were back to his guarded look and his face wasn't so open again. He was shutting me out. As quickly as it was slipping away, my anger came flooding back.

"I feel like I have a right to know, since I'm living here." I turned around. I grabbed the book I left lying on the chair and went to the ladder, grabbing a few more. _I'll continue this somewhere more private. _

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to my room." I snapped, balancing the books in a pile and heading towards the door. "I'll find out about this place, whether you tell me or not."

Cato ran a hand through his hair and padded after me. "I'm trying to protect you. You'll do better to forget about it." He matched my pace and with blinding speed, took the books from my hand. One moment they were there, the next they were gone. Mind-blowing.

"What are you doing?" I shot him a glare. The corners of his mouth quirked up. He was trying not to laugh at me!

"I'll carry the books up to your room." He picked up his pace, I had to jog to keep up with him.

"I can do it myself, thank you." I reached for my books, but Cato held them out of my reach. I didn't want to act like a child, so I crossed my arms.

"Ok." He didn't slow down, just huge strides towards my room. I sullenly fell into step beside him. When we reached my room, he didn't speak, he just handed me the books. "Dinner's at five." He started walking away and then stopped. "I won't be there."

"Why?" The word flew out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Cato smirked. "I have business to attend to." With that, he was gone.

True to his word, when it was time for dinner, Cato wasn't there. I ate dinner alone and headed back to my room. The books lay in a pile on my nightstand. I had spent most of the day reading them, mostly stuff about the different species.

It was pretty fascinating. I didn't find one article about cats. I still had no idea about Caspian or his species or whatever. It was all very interesting. Fascinating though. All the different species. Usually the day people and night guys hated each other. They were constantly battling each other and whatnot.

Night-Walkers usually were searching for something. Blood, brains, silver, you know, just normal stuff. Sun-Walkers usually were protecting something. Silver, people, land, stuff like that. It was a very interesting history.

It had to be past seven by the time I was finished. I yawned and stretched. I couldn't believe I had spent the whole day pouring over those books. Time just seemed to fly. And now, I had to admit, I was really bored.

I went into my bathroom and showered, brushed my hair, teeth, and other important things. I felt so much more refreshed and ready for anything. I hesitated on the door to my room. I looked at it, then at the door that led to the hall. Back to the bedroom door. Forth to the hall. Back. Forth.

I was really curious what Cato was hiding. He obviously was. I've never seen someone so evasive. The question was what. Was he a Night-Walker? Was he dangerous? I just had to find out.

Taking a deep breath, I put one hand on the hall doorknob and twisted. A dark and ominous hallway was on the other side.

**Oh...my...What ever will Katniss find on the other side? What is Cato hiding? What is Caspian hiding? Will this story ever end? Possibly. Soon? No. **

**R&r!**


	12. Shadows

**Hum, hi? Guys...I'm sorry? **

**I know, it's been a while. I could give you a million excuses, but I'll just stick to I'm sorry, and hopefully that won't happen again. I really am sorry. I hope this mass update helps. Yeah, I just had a ton of half-finished documents, so I forced myself to power through and finish them!**

**Anyway, this one is kind of short, but the next one will be really long with a whole explanation thing. No. Cato is not a werewolf. Hope that helps. I tried to describe his...transformation as much as I could. **

**Thanks to _Cookie Seller On The Dark Side_ for being review number 140. Woo hoo!**

**R&r!  
**

My adrenaline was up, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. My breath came in uneven gasps and it hurt just to breath. Every intake of air made a whistling rattle in my throat and each slice of oxygen was a soothing relief to my aching windpipe.

Why had I left the room? Why couldn't I have just been good and hidden in the bedroom? Why? Why?

I continued sprinting, taking gasps with every step and wishing I knew where I was. I needed to find somewhere safe NOW!

Regret.

Why? What had happened might you ask?

Well, it had started off regular. I was padding through the halls, looking for Cato. I had to know what he was hiding. The knowledge I had learned was swirling around in my head, all jumbled up. Then, another thought entered my mind. What if Cato was dangerous?

Was staying here a safe choice? What if I died? I had thought about it before, but I thought that Cato would turn out to be some crazy psycho and kill me, not be some sort of dangerous magical creature, that shouldn't even exist!

Anyway, I was just turning another corner, when I thought I heard a low growl. I turned just as a flash of something vanished around the far corner. It had to be Cato. I picked up my pace and hurried after the vanishing shape.

I tried to be silent, but as I rounded the corner, whatever I had seen, had obviously heard me. I turned and saw gleaming yellow eyes. I let out a startled yelp of surprise. Whatever it was, it wasn't Cato.

I usually don't scare easily. I get scared about different things, like if my mother's sickness got worse. That scared me. Or if my father didn't have enough money to pay for the bills because he spent most of it on alcohol. That was terrifying. What didn't scare me was spiders, snakes, or clowns.

What I just saw, sent shivers up and down my body. I only saw an outline, a massive body, that dominated the entire hallway. I couldn't see any definite shape, just large. I saw large, aggressive yellow eyes, and an overpowering smell of the forest.

When I had yelped, the creature let out a huge growl and stood up slowly. I didn't wait for it to do anything else. I merely turned around and took off running. I heard a snarl, followed by a shudder, which I assumed was the creature leaping after me.

Which is how I got to to this point.

I was sprinting down the hall, as I had been for the past few minutes. I didn't know where the monster was, I just knew it was behind me somewhere. I could hear its snarls from behind. I rolled down the next turn I could find, and threw open a door. I didn't wait to close it, just continued my running.

Only when I hit the wall, did I realize that it was a dead end. I bounced off and lay there for a moment, accepting that I was doomed. I gave up, my side cramping and my breaths coming in uneven gasps. I could barely breath right now, let alone run.

I lay down, head spinning and body hurting from hitting the wall. I turned my head towards the door and watched. I wanted to at least see the creature that was going to kill me. I didn't want to die with my eyes closed.

The lighting in this room was much brighter. There were large windows, on one wall, allowing a lot of moonlight inside the room. I heard the snarls reach the door.

The monster stepped into the room. I gasped, staring in awe. The animal was so large, it had to duck its head to fit into the room. Its fur was black, and seemed to suck the light from the room. The moonlight, rather than illuminating the beast, cast darker shadows on it. The light didn't touch its skin.

I would describe it as a wolf. It was totally black, with blazing yellow eyes it looked like. It was only about five times the size of a regular wolf. Its ears were pricked forward at me, looking interested in me. Each step it took sent a small shudder on the ground.

I stayed down, feeling the rumble and watching it pad forward slowly. It was toying with me, I thought bitterly, like a cat with a mouse. It was going to enjoy watching me die.

Finally, the creature stopped in front of me. It was hard to see it clearly, it was shifting in and out of focus, still roughly a wolf shape. I saw it closely, seeing it didn't even look solid. Well, it did, but its edges were blurred.

_You shouldn't be here. _

The voice echoed in my head, loud, and deep, commanding, and threatening. I winced, the voice was loud and made my ears ring for a moment. Yet, the voice had a familiar edge to it. I tried to pinpoint where I knew that voice from.

I pushed myself into a sitting position, holding my arms out defensively in front of me. I had some time to recover my breathing, and now I was ready for a fight. "I don't know who you are, but I'll kill you." I threatened through gritted teeth.

Much to my surprise, the wolf-creature let out a rumble in its chest. Was it...laughing at me? It tilted its head to the side and stared deeply at me.

_I won't hurt you. _

This time, the voice was softer, gentler. Like it knew its voice had hurt me and it was trying to be softer. The softer voice set off a light bulb in my head.

"Cato?" No. That couldn't be right. He was human. This thing wasn't. Cato couldn't be...that. Then again, I did talk to a cat the other night. No, this wasn't right. There was no way this monster was Cato. No way.

The beast nodded. My head began reeling with shock. I tried to take deep breaths as the room began to spin. I put my head between my knees and gasped. The wolf let out a concerned noise and took a few steps closer. I jerked away from it, I mean him. I didn't want to touch him, for fear that he might be imaginary, or worse, real.

"Now you've done it." A voice spat, stalking into view. I almost fainted with relief. Caspian. The cat looked ticked off, and also frightened. While he didn't look friendly, it was nice to see a familiar face.

"Caspian." I gaped. The cat glared at me, and turned back, completely unruffled towards the beas-Cato. I realized his first words hadn't been directed at me.

He spoke in a hurried, hushed whisper with the creature, tail waving frantically. I felt a little left out, and wondered what they were talking about. From the calm way Caspian was acting, he obviously saw this before. He obviously knew what the heck was going on.

Caspian meowed something loudly. "It's YOUR mess." He hissed and muttered something else. The cat shook his head violently. "Oh no!" He meowed. He got up and began to walk away, "You handle this one boss."

The wolf let out a loud growl/bark at the retreating cat. The cat looked triumphant. "Alright." He stopped and came back towards me.

"This might be a little...surprising." For once, the cat looked a little worried. His tail was tightly tucked around his paws, where it twitched restlessly. I merely nodded.

"But, what Cato wants me to tell you is, he promises he'll explain everything in the morning. Anything you want to know." The wolf let out a rumble of approval. At least, I think it was. I wasn't really sure.

I tried to even my breathing and slowly stood up, expecting the beast to jump me at any moment. It didn't move, just continued staring at me with its glowing yellow eyes.

I moved very slowly, inching forward until I was closer to Caspian. "Um, will it...he hurt me?" I nervously asked, trying to comprehend all of this. Cato was a monster. He was a huge, massive creature and it was quite scary.

The cat shook his head. "No, he has a little more control than that, thank you." He stood up and beckoned me with his tail. "I'll take you back to the room." I followed, warily keeping an eye on the wolf to my left.

He watched me with great interest, as if gauging my emotions. His nostrils flared as he breathed deeply. This was totally normal. I told myself. People turned into wolves all the times. Or something that looked kinda like a wolf.

I followed Caspian down the hall and up a few flights of stairs. I guess I went farther than I thought. The cat was silent the whole way, only casting me a few glances to make sure I was following. Finally, he stopped in front of a familiar door.

"Look," Caspian whirled around, fast and urgent. "What you saw today. You can never tell anyone." His voice was low and hurried. "Never." He took a shaky breath, "I'm glad you're OK. Just...don't do that again." The cat nodded and turned, sprinting down the hall. He was gone in moments.

I stopped for a moment, hesitating at the door knob. Even if I tried to tell anyone what I had seen, they'd think I was crazy. I wouldn't tell anyone, I decided. And now, I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. At least I would find out what was going on in the morning.

~0o0~

Morning:

I was busily sitting at the dinning table, waiting for Cato to come down and explain himself. I was growing more and more agitated as I stuffed myself with the food that had been set out.

"Morning sleepy." A masculine voice, completely opposite of the inhuman growl I had heard last night, sounded from behind me. I froze, unsure of what to do for a moment.

I stood up quickly, grabbing the first thing I came into contact with. It happened to be a glass bottle full of water. I threw it at the source of the noise, feeling grim satisfaction when it shattered next to a familiar blonde head.

The only reaction I got was a ghost of a grin. Water and glass dripped down the wall where it had hit. "Nice shot."

"What the heck is going on?" I snapped, irked at his reaction. "You didn't think that turning into some sort of freaky monster wasn't important enough to mention?" I hissed the last words.

"I didn't think you would find out." He shrugged, looking quite nonchalant.

"I wouldn't find out?" I clenched my fists and stalked forward, brushing past him roughly and out the door.

"Where are you going?" Cato turned around and followed me, doing exactly opposite of what I wanted to to do.

"I'm going to my room." I snapped over my shoulder, wishing he would just go away.

"Why?"

"To pack." I said those words with a brute finality, not wanting to spend one more second here. I wanted to go home. Back home where life was semi-normal, cats didn't talk, and people didn't turn into wolves.

"Why?"

"Because I no longer want to be here." I suddenly found myself shoved up against a wall, Cato's arm pinned me to the wall, he slid confidently in front of me.

"Is that really the best option?" His face was inches from mine and I squirmed uncomfortably. His blue eyes bore into mine. "You said you needed to be here. For your mom. If you don't get the money, your mother will die."

His words were harsh, but I could tell there was an edge of desperation. Something told me that he needed me here, just as much as I needed to be here. He was right. But, it wasn't enough to keep me here.

"I do, but this might be too much." My voice had lost its edge, I could begin to see the problems with leaving. There was no way we could afford the surgery. No way. Not without Cato's money.

I sighed. "If I do stay, I have some conditions." I held up a finger. "First off, I want a FULL explanation what is going on."

Cato smirked, leaning away from me slightly. There was a little chill from where he had been, and I kind of missed it. I shook my head to clear that thought. "Is that all?" He questioned.

"No." I held up another hand. "Second, I want you to be totally open with me. No more secrets, OK?"

"Sounds fair." The hand blocking me moved away entirely. I was once more free to go. I pulled my hand up and pressed gently against his chest.

"No, for real, I want you to promise." I pushed him away further so I could concentrate.

"OK, I promise." His smirk widened and he stepped back. "Let's go."

I was momentarily confused. "Where?"

"To the library. I can explain better in a," he looked around, "quieter environment."

~0o0~

"This might come off as a little shocking." Cato was leaning against a bookshelf in the library/study. I was sitting on a plush leather chair. A warm fire crackled in the corner and we were facing each other.

I raised an eyebrow, "You think?"

Cato shook his head. "I really am sorry for all of this. Maybe I could shed some light on it. I never wanted to hurt you in any way." He cleared his throat and took something off a bookshelf. It looked like a journal.

"I wrote this to help me sort out what was happening." The book was red leather, obviously used a lot and well cared for. "It's notes, and sort of a documentary." Cato stroked the book fondly.

He opened up the the first page. "I'll start by explaining from the beginning."

**Ahhh...I stopped in a bad place. Oh well. Sorry, this is probably really choppy and bad. I tried, but I wasn't working too well. Oh well. I hope the description wasn't awful. **

**R&r!**


	13. Explaination

**Alright, here is the explanation. I thought my last chapter was stupid and didn't answer anything for you guys, so I went out and wrote this one in like, a few hours. I hope this basically clears everything up, and also opens new questions. If you still don't get it, just tell me so, and I'll try and explain it some more. **

**R&r!**

"It started seven and a half years ago. I wasn't the same as I was then. I was...crueler." Cato began, a rueful look in his gaze. His hands twisted nervously, turning the journal over.

"Wait," I realized something, "You were 11 when this happened?" That seemed like it would be tough. Having whatever happened to him before he was even a teenager.

"No." Cato ran a hand through his hair, "I was 18." He caught my gaze. This probably was hard for him.

"That would mean..." my mind immediately began to scramble, still trying to come up with the most logical explanation for this.

"Yeah, I've been trapped in this age since the beginning. I will be stuck here until..." He trailed off, unsure of what he could say. "I've been 18 for awhile now."

"Wow." I whispered, unsure of what else to say. Technically, Cato was almost 26. Physically, he was still 18 though.

Cato continued with his story, trying to explain it as best as he could, "Even I'm not entirely sure about all of this. I'm actually trapped in this house." He explained, "If I try to get off the property, it's just extremely painful, and I'm met with a physical barrier that I just can't get over."

That meant, Cato was struck in this house, had been stuck in the house for seven years, unable to go further than the edges of his property. That sucked.

"Anyway, seven years ago, I was much more bitter. My family wasn't living here though, we had moved away, far away. We were living in a large city, with lots of people. I was still bitter about what had happened here, so I was instantly drawn towards a certain crowd." Cato hurried over the party about what had happened. He obviously didn't want to talk about it.

"I went to parties all the time. I actually became quite popular. I changed my view on woman, and went through them without a second thought. They just became notches on my headboard. And, frankly, I liked it. I loved the new me. I felt powerful."

Cato looked horrified by his old actions. He really regretted that chapter in his life. I, meanwhile, was curious as to just how he became like he is.

"Anyway, my current girlfriend, I don't even remember, thought of a funny joke. If I pretended to be interested in this girl in our school. She was a loner, very anti-social, kind of a gothic freak. She was constantly writing in her little notebook, and everyone whispered she was a witch."

I could see where this was going, and where it would end.

"So, I asked the girl to coffee, and me and my friends sat laughing while she waited two hours for me. Two hours! Anyway, I then went in and said awful things to her. Terrible things." Cato winced, reliving the moment.

"She kind of freaked, and stopped time. Then she told me that because of my actions, I would become what I truly was. A beast."

"That's awful." I murmured.

"Then, I woke up in my room. I thought it was all a dream, but my step mother found me. She and my father and I talked it out, and we decided it would be best if I returned to our childhood home. Here. That's obviously what Clove wanted, because as soon as I set foot in here, I was trapped."

"Isn't there a cure?" I asked, my sensibility returning.

Cato's eyes flashed. "No. I made my mistake, and I must live with it." He picked up the journal and tossed it to me. "You can read this. It's just my life before and after. It's not much, but maybe it'll help you."

I caught it carefully, running my hand along the smooth edges. I was touched by Cato's offer. He was letting me read his most secret thoughts, to find out more about him.

"Well, can you explain to me what you are now?" I asked, almost forgetting about the second part of his explanation.

Cato let out a dry chuckle. "So curious. Yeah, sure." He picked up a few books and flipped through them. "Since I can't leave this place, I have people do it for me. Or Caspian. I send him to get books or other things that might help me understand what happened."

He stacked a few books and reached for another. "I actually acquired a ton of knowledge about all of this in my years here. I could probably write my own book about all of this. This secret world." Cato finally found what he was looking for. He pulled out a small, plain looking book.

It was nothing special, just a simple red bound, with gold letters curving on the front. It said, _Title Unknown. _

"I found this one about five years ago. I find a ton of books, but it's mostly a matter of going through these and finding out what's fact and what is fiction. Most of the authors can get it mostly right. The rest, I found out by experience."

Cato flipped through the pages now, looking for something specific.

"Caspian told me he told you that this place was a magic hotspot, yes?"

I nodded, wondering what he was getting at.

"Well, I found this book. It had the most interesting passage." Finally, he found the passage he was looking for. He cleared his throat and began to read out loud.

"_The world of the Night-Walkers is a dark and usually dangerous place. The creatures of the shadows are often ruthless and killers. But, where there is shadows, there must always be light. Even in the darkest of depths. _

_ There are good Night-Walkers. They do exist. There sole purpose in life is to fight and kill the bad. They are the exterminators, the "ninjas" of the night. They take out the bad, and make sure the __world is a safer place. In a way, they are like the Sun-Walkers. Just keep in mind, not everything unknown, is always bad." _

I was confused at why Cato showed this to me. He put the book down. "I read this passage, and It really stood out. Yes, I was a monster, but who said I had to be a bad one?" Cato had a faint smirk playing on the edges of his lips.

"So, I began to go outside the mansion at night. I would fight anything I came across, because creatures are drawn to this place. What made me a beast, also helped me save lives. I learned how to fight, and take care of the creatures of the night."

I was beginning to gain a little respect for Cato now. He had taken a problem, and turned it into a solution. He was a lot smarter than I thought. I had to give him props.

"I get all of that," I began, "but what are you?" The million dollar question. "A were-wolf?"

Cato let out a bark of laughter. He shook his head, sandy blonde hair falling over blue eyes. "I'm not a were-wolf!" He chuckled, finding my ignorance very amusing.

I bristled at him. Cato stopped laughing and began to explain to me, amusement still alight in his eyes.

"I'm a shadow." He made it seem so easy.

"A shadow?"

"Yeah, I turn into a shadow-beast at night. It's actually perceived by the human eye as only a shadow. They can't physically see me."

"And I could because?"

"Well, because this is my house, and I gave you permission, you can see me. If we go off the mansion, you wouldn't be able to see me then."

"So, when people-or creatures see you, they see a giant wolf?" I tilted my head curiously.

"Yes. I'm like a shadow. I can choose what I look like. I just chose a wolf because it's easier to fight. And faster too. You see, when you saw me, I looked blurred on the edges, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, I'm completely solid. The blurred edges actually throws creatures off, because they don't know where my body begins. It's harder for them to get a solid hit on me. Also, when I'm in shadow form, I can move so much faster as a 'wolf.'"

Cato looked pleased with himself.

"So, you turn into a bunch of shadows at night?"

"Well, I turn into a shadow mass. It's at night because Clove wanted me to experience what it was like to be human, if for only a little bit, during the day. It was like a little extra torture she added in there. I'm actually quite solid, except for my edges."

"Oh, so it's not THAT bad right? You can still be human for the day." Another thought hit me. "Are you immortal?"

"No. And I guess, but I'm also trapped here, with no way of leaving and a sarcastic cat for company." Cato didn't seem too happy about that. Wow. He makes one mistake, and I cost him his whole life.

He should've been happily graduated from college with a nice wife, and maybe even a couple kids. Instead, he was trapped on this mansion in some sort of suspended age, alone.

"Sounds rough."

Cato gave me a half grin. "That's the understatement of the century."

"Wait," yeah, I was overflowing with questions. Cato had answered most of them, but his answers also opened up new questions. "You aren't immortal, yet you are trapped at age 18? It doesn't last forever?"

That didn't make sense. He was forever stuck at age 18, but he wasn't immortal? How was that possible? Did he eventually die?

Cato grew a little more closed off. "I, uh, age really slowly. It's like ten years is one year for me. So, I'll turn 19 in two more years." He nodded to himself and stood up. "Wow, have we really been in here for four hours?"

"Dinner is at 5:00 sharp. Feel free to read anything in the library." Cato turned away and hurried out the door.

I sat there for a few minutes soaking it all in. Cato turned into a monster at night. He fought other monsters, trying to make the world a better place. It was so messed up.

Finally, I decided to read his journal to see if I could find out anything. The beginning was odd, mostly the writings of a bitter boy. He wrote about his life before he turned. I read about his moving the this place after his mother's death.

It sounded eerily familiar to my story. Except, we moved here try and save my mother. But, I was resentful about being here too.

Cato wrote about his father meeting Anita, his step-mother. I felt pity for how he must have felt, like his father was betraying him. Then, I came across an interesting section. The one about Glimmer. I read this part eagerly, wondering what had happened to this girl. Cato was so infatuated by her, what could have possibly made him so angry?

It was so weird. On one page, Cato was writing about going to see Glimmer, and how excited he was. On the next, he was writing about going to a different high school.

That was weird. I looked back on the Glimmer page. Then at the high school one. I realized something. _Cato had torn out several pages! _Why had he done that? It had to do with Glimmer. One page, he was writing about how happy she made him, the next, it was like she didn't exist.

What had happened to her? Where was she? Had she died? Had she run away? Did she break Cato's heart? I would never know unless I found those missing pages.

I just decided to read the rest of the journal, to maybe see if I could find something about her again. No luck. But, there were some interesting passages.

"_I hated myself then. But, I also loved the new me. I was all powerful, I was invisible. People loved me. People wanted me. People wanted to be me. That could have never happened in our old house. _

_ I went to parties because it helped me forget. I didn't need Glimmer to help me see the world. I could see it myself. I guess that's when my view because distorted." _

I read on and on, until I got to the part about him and Clove. I realized something else. He wrote about going to the cafe, and then, he wrote about waking up a beast. I noticed something again! He had ripped out yet another page.

Why had he done that? Was it recently? Was it a long time ago in a fit of anger? Does he not want me to find out anything?

I carefully examined both ripped spots. The first one, with Glimmer, looked like it had been rushed, or angry. The page wasn't neatly ripped, there was even a piece stuck to the page. It had a single word on it. I looked at it closely. _Love. _

The next page, he ripped out, looked more precise. The rip line was neat, and carefully torn out. Weirder and weirder. Unfortunately, I'm a very curious person, and I just had to find out what had happened on those ripped pages.

**Ok, you all know what happened with Clove. If not, just reread chapter one. Ok? I had Cato tear this out because...well, he didn't want - find out when I update! Haha, and also, what happened to Glimmer? Will we ever know? The answer is yes. Eventually**r

**R&r!**


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